Biography
A Sunny Day in Glasgow surfaced during the mid-2000s, crafting synth-heavy experimental noise pop that drew from shoegaze acts such as My Bloody Valentine while shaping the style into their distinct vision. Philadelphia native Ben Daniels launched the project after returning from several years spent in the U.K., initially capturing songs with vocal contributions from sisters Lauren and Robin. Those recordings were assembled into the EP The Sunniest Day Ever, issued in March 2006. The release reached number one on New York's WNYU, tracks began circulating online, and Pitchfork awarded the opening cut "C'mon" a four-star rating. Interest from indie labels followed, culminating in a deal with Notenuf Records secured in October 2006.
The band tracked their debut full-length Scribble Mural Comic Journal throughout 2006 and issued it the next year alongside the outtakes EP Tout New Age. Following tours supporting the album, the group pared down to Ben Daniels and multi-instrumentalist Josh Meakim, relocating from Montreal—where Scribble Mural Comic Journal had been recorded—to New Jersey. During this extended period the duo brought Anne Fredrickson aboard on vocals and cello. Their second album, Ashes Grammar, finally appeared in 2009 via Mis Ojos Discos. For the ensuing tour the trio expanded with drummer Adam Herndon, bassist Ryan Newmyer, and vocalist Jen Goma. This configuration delivered the Nitetime Rainbows EP in early 2010 and the live-recorded album Autumn, Again later that year. By then the six members resided in separate cities, with Daniels having relocated to Australia while the others dispersed across the U.S.
As sessions for the subsequent album commenced, Daniels stepped back for the first time, passing primary lyric-writing and production responsibilities to Goma and Meakim respectively, while Fredrickson contributed string arrangements, Newmyer handled deconstruction and reconstruction of tracks, and Herndon supplied extensive percussion. The recordings unfolded over multiple years at Jeff Zeigler's Uniform Recording studio in Philadelphia, yielding Sea When Absent, which Lefse Records released in summer 2014. Amid various side projects—including Meakim's Arc in Round alongside Zeigler—Goma and Newmyer joined Kurt Feldman of Ice Choir to form Roman à Clef, whose album Abandonware emerged in mid-2015. Around the same period A Sunny Day in Glasgow reassembled for a project presented as a double EP; Planning Weed Like It's Acid/Life Is Loss was developed collectively and captured largely at bandmembers' homes to accelerate completion compared with prior efforts, appearing later in 2015.
The band tracked their debut full-length Scribble Mural Comic Journal throughout 2006 and issued it the next year alongside the outtakes EP Tout New Age. Following tours supporting the album, the group pared down to Ben Daniels and multi-instrumentalist Josh Meakim, relocating from Montreal—where Scribble Mural Comic Journal had been recorded—to New Jersey. During this extended period the duo brought Anne Fredrickson aboard on vocals and cello. Their second album, Ashes Grammar, finally appeared in 2009 via Mis Ojos Discos. For the ensuing tour the trio expanded with drummer Adam Herndon, bassist Ryan Newmyer, and vocalist Jen Goma. This configuration delivered the Nitetime Rainbows EP in early 2010 and the live-recorded album Autumn, Again later that year. By then the six members resided in separate cities, with Daniels having relocated to Australia while the others dispersed across the U.S.
As sessions for the subsequent album commenced, Daniels stepped back for the first time, passing primary lyric-writing and production responsibilities to Goma and Meakim respectively, while Fredrickson contributed string arrangements, Newmyer handled deconstruction and reconstruction of tracks, and Herndon supplied extensive percussion. The recordings unfolded over multiple years at Jeff Zeigler's Uniform Recording studio in Philadelphia, yielding Sea When Absent, which Lefse Records released in summer 2014. Amid various side projects—including Meakim's Arc in Round alongside Zeigler—Goma and Newmyer joined Kurt Feldman of Ice Choir to form Roman à Clef, whose album Abandonware emerged in mid-2015. Around the same period A Sunny Day in Glasgow reassembled for a project presented as a double EP; Planning Weed Like It's Acid/Life Is Loss was developed collectively and captured largely at bandmembers' homes to accelerate completion compared with prior efforts, appearing later in 2015.