Vinyl Sunshine: The Story

Vinyl Sunshine’s music is dominated by American sunshine pop and is a subgenre of pop music. Our music is characterized by a cheerful attitude, close vocal harmonies, and sophisticated production. Much of the music originated as a response to the British Invasion. This music was the most popular from the mid-1960s to early 1970s and subsequently faded.

Our cover songs are predominantly upbeat and apolitical, and at first glance, superficial. However, these songs often feature complex production and arrangements. The music can be experimental and contain psychedelic elements. 

Instrumentation typically includes strings, guitar, bass, drums or percussion, and piano. More exotic instruments such as harpsichord, xylophone or sitar may also be heard. Multi-part harmony singing is ubiquitous. While sunshine pop typically sounds relentlessly cheerful it can also be more subdued or even sad.

The typical sunshine pop song, true to its name, often features lyrics that focus on the beauty of nature, specifically its spring and summertime versions: sunny days, green grass, warm breezes. But the real joy of the genre lies in its escapism; many of its most famous songs are primarily concerned with nature as a metaphor for freedom, for a natural and uncomplicated approach to life. This was no accident, given the youth movement that was already defining the decade.

By the end of the decade, sunshine pop had become so ingrained in society that it was seen as the family-friendly alternative to the darker and more revolutionary strains of rock then taking root. (The Brady Bunch and Partridge Family TV shows both benefited from this perception.)