The Sundays
Reading, Writing And Arithmetic

THE REVIEW

The end of the Smiths in England sparked a true media frenzy in search of Morrissey and Marr's successors. Thus, the title of "new Smiths" was soon attributed to various bands on the British scene: the House Of Love, James, Moz's protégés, the Trash Can Sinatras, the La's, and the Sundays.

The latter were certainly the most hyped by the press; led by one of Johnny Marr's most credible disciples, David Gavurin, and produced by the same label as the Manchester group (Rough Trade), the Sundays shook the English music scene just before the Madchester phenomenon, enough to make a rash but esteemed journalist exclaim, "this is the greatest band in the world," and to appear on the cover of various magazines even before releasing their debut. When it was released in late 1989, it did not disappoint expectations.

The delicate guitar phrases of Gavurin are supported by a simple yet effective rhythm section and the enchanting voice of Harriet Wheeler, a less theatrical Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins). The album is a succession of expansive atmospheres, with some faster and more rhythmic tracks providing a counterbalance. The perfect meeting of the two models produces the delightful single "Here’s Where The Story Ends." The influence of the Smiths is strong, but the Sundays seem to have learned only one lesson from the group: that of the pop ballad; in short, the intent is to resemble "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" more than "The Queen Is Dead." And the result is more than good, and thanks to the dream-pop echoes of bands like the Cocteau Twins and Lush (obvious in tracks like "Joy" and "Skin And Bones"), and to sparse and essential arrangements, the band manages to find its own original path and imprint it on every track of the album. "My Finest Hour" and "You’re Not The Only One I Know" show an enviable compositional freshness, and are, along with the aforementioned "Here’s Where The Story Ends," the peaks of an extremely pleasant and sweet album, which has the only limitation of being slightly repetitive, due to a pattern repeated too many times and a guitar that struggles to evolve.

Elements that will become increasingly visible in the subsequent albums, "Blind" and "Static & Silence," catchy but not on par with a debut that influenced bands like the Cranberries and Sixpence None The Richer.