Sunset Lines Announce Debut Album ‘The Longest Day In June,’ Share Dreamy New Single ‘Warm Places’
Santa Cruz indie pop outfit Sunset Lines is set to release their debut full-length album, ‘The Longest Day In June,’ later this year. The band will drop its lead single, ‘Warm Places,’ on March 27th, a shimmering synth-pop track that doubles as a love letter to tropical escapes.
Written during a period of profound personal change, frontwoman Liz Brooks describes the album as “a catalog of that time—the ups and downs, the freedom, and the restlessness.” Yet, despite its introspective origins, ‘The Longest Day In June’ radiates euphoria, balancing nostalgia with a vibrant sense of movement. The band’s sound—melding jagged, Pixies-style guitar work with ethereal ‘80s synth textures—finds cohesion through Brooks’s dreamy vocals and layered-meaning lyricism.
‘Warm Places’ encapsulates this sonic identity, its reverb-soaked ambiance evoking a sense of wanderlust. Brooks sings in three languages, threading each phrase seamlessly into the song’s hypnotic melody. Inspired by travels through Mexico and Hawaii, the track distills fleeting moments of beauty and connection into luminous pop form. “One standout memory behind the song is watching a solar eclipse in Baja, an event that cast both a literal and metaphorical shadow over our trip,” Brooks shares.
When asked for further details, she replied: “The initial idea for this song came to me in the wee hours of the morning while I was in Maui in a single room unit – I remember hearing this and building out in my head further and further until I had to go record careful whispers of the initial idea in the bathroom so as not to wake anyone. In my mind it was so complete – full production, big drums, brass and everything. Then I brought this weak little recording home to start putting together instruments in order to recreate what I had heard in my head. What I assumed would be the chorus and main hook of the song was locked in but I realized I didn’t know where to go from there. I hit my head against the wall with this one for many months until I finally came up with what I originally thought would be the verse, if not perhaps just the bridge of the song. After finally taking that idea to practice and introducing it to the rest of the band for the first time, the reaction to the “verse/bridge” idea was so strong, that we ultimately switched the arrangement, changing it to the chorus instead. It has this almost circulating, whirring, force to it that reminds me of a spinning record or merry go round.
The lyrics and tropical vibes of this song are inspired by my love of travel, the places we’ve been, and the way in which these experiences help in forging or fanning the flames to our relationships. Hawaii was the first place that Paul (McCorkle) and I traveled to together (and then later married) so it’s a very special place for us, and, being half Mexican myself, I’ve been traveling to Mexico for much of my life and it was a lot of fun incorporating my love for these places, and spanish into the song. It’s the first song we’ve released featuring lyrics in multiple languages.
We worked tirelessly on this song changing and finalizing parts up until the week we submitted it for mixing. Last minute changes included additions to the bridge, lyrics, and a shift in the vocals of the chorus itself, all with the intention of perfecting the tropical and ambient vibes of the song. Paul’s airy and plucky guitar line along with Adam (Soffrin) and Brett’s (Wiltshire) driving and lush rhythm section really help round out the song in a way that reminds me of Madonna’s ‘La Isla Bonita’ along with Thalía, Yuri and other artists I used to really love growing up. The percussion alone is a total departure from a lot of the more synth driven pop songs we’ve worked on in the past.”
Produced by Paul McCorkle and mixed by Sean Paulson (13th Floor Elevators, GRMLN, Kendrick Lamar), with mastering by Grammy-nominated engineer Jeff Lipton (Bob Dylan, Bon Iver, Magnetic Fields), The Longest Day In June is poised to be a defining moment for Sunset Lines. The band’s meticulous approach to crafting expansive, harmony-rich anthems suggests that this is only the beginning of their ascent.
Headline photo: Brett Wiltshire
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