Sunny War and Edith Crash Head to “The Place” (premiere)

Hailing from the Venice Beach punk scene, Sunny War has since evolved in a multitude of directions. Never settling on exploring one musical path, War has made a name for herself in recent years as a genre-bender. Driving that point home, she’s incorporating elements of blues, bossa nova, and Americana into the makings of her forthcoming LP, Shell of a Girl. It;s due for release on 23 August via Hen House Studios, with its vinyl release being handled by Org Music.

Between albums, War packed her bags and moved from Venice Beach to the bustle of downtown Los Angeles. Shell of a Girl is the body of work that marks this transition, evidenced in the next steps in her sonic progression. Though she finds herself older and more matured, War spends much of the album looking back with a heartfelt nostalgia toward her tumultuous younger years. Trading out that prior intensity for a more contemplative stance on those formative years, War’s newest songs come across like a person-to-person confessional.

Such is the case with “The Place”. Featuring Edith Crash, the song is delicately crafted, its buoyant melody being its focal point. Between the ebb and flow, tinges of aforementioned bossa nova influence come shining through, subtle guitar riffs and War and Crash’s wispy vocal performance adding to the dreamlike quality of its production. Directed and edited by Florencia P. Marano, its accompanying music video showcases a studio performance of the song. Straightforward as it may be, expert direction sees that it heartily contributes to the atmospheric vibe that “The Place” emanates.