Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, formed in 1992 and active since then, with periods of disbandment and reunion. The group is associated with alternative rock, emo, indie rock, midwest emo, post-grunge and post-hardcore, and is credited with helping move emo from a largely underground style to a wider audience.

Formation and early releases

The band begins as Empty Set, with Dan Hoerner on guitar and vocals, Nate Mendel on bass, and William Goldsmith on drums. A 7-inch called Flatland Spider appears under that name. Mendel later pauses to tour with another band, Hoerner switches to bass, and Jeremy Enigk joins after being invited by Goldsmith; Enigk then becomes the permanent frontman. Hoerner’s earlier vocal approach is described as rougher and more hardcore-influenced, while Enigk’s higher, strained delivery gives the songs more emotional weight.

Another 7-inch, Thief, Steal Me a Peach, follows in 1993. The debut album, Diary, comes out on Sub Pop in 1994 and receives strong reviews. The band promotes it with performances of the single “Seven” on The Jon Stewart Show and several songs on MTV’s 120 Minutes. It also tours the United States with Shudder to Think and Soul Coughing.

Public image and early split

During the Diary period, the group keeps a deliberately elusive public profile, allowing only one publicity photo and giving just one interview. It also turns down many live appearances, including most shows in California. At the 1994 Almost Acoustic Christmas event in Los Angeles, Hoerner does not play, so Enigk, Mendel and Goldsmith perform as a trio.

After the 1994 US tour, the band starts work on a follow-up amid internal tension. In early 1995 it announces a split, with Goldsmith and Mendel joining Dave Grohl’s new Foo Fighters. Enigk later addresses rumours about his conversion to Christianity, which had become a focus of speculation around the breakup.

LP2 and later 1990s activity

Sub Pop releases the second album in November 1995 under the band name alone, with no cover art or liner notes. It is distributed as LP2 and is also known as The Pink Album because of its plain pink sleeve. The record includes material from the brief later sessions as well as older recordings such as “Rodeo Jones”.

After the split, Enigk starts a solo career in 1996. Hoerner moves to a farm in rural Washington, while Mendel and Goldsmith continue with the Foo Fighters. Goldsmith later leaves that band after a dispute during the sessions for its second album, while Mendel stays.

In 1997 Sub Pop begins discussing a rarities release, including early 7-inch tracks and an unused contribution to the The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack. The band instead regroups to write new material, and eventually decides to make a full album.

How It Feels to Be Something On and The Rising Tide

How It Feels to Be Something On appears in 1998. For the album, Jeff Palmer of the Mommyheads replaces Mendel in the lineup. The record shows a calmer, more mature sound, and includes the title track, “Every Shining Time You Arrive”, and Hoerner’s environmental statement “100 Million”.

Sub Pop later films two shows for a live release, issued as Live on video and audio. The band objects to the final presentation and then leaves the label. After a difficult search for a new deal, it signs to Time Bomb Recordings, an independent label distributed by BMG. With producer and engineer Lou Giordano, the band records The Rising Tide, released in 2000, and tours the United States extensively. Plans for a first European tour collapse when the label withdraws funding and later ceases operations, after which the band disbands again.

Later projects and reunions

After the second split, Hoerner works with Chris Carrabba on Dashboard Confessional material. In 2002 Enigk and Goldsmith reunite with Mendel in The Fire Theft, which releases a self-titled album in 2003. The trio chooses not to revive the Sunny Day Real Estate name for that project. Enigk also continues solo work, releasing World Waits on his own Lewis Hollow Records in 2006, followed by The Missing Link in 2007 and OK Bear in 2009, recorded in Barcelona with a new backing band and also issued on Lewis Hollow Records.

Sunny Day Real Estate reunites with its founding members in 2009 and tours again. Remastered editions of the first two albums appear, and the band indicates from the stage that new material may be coming. Hoerner later confirms that the group is writing a new album, although Mendel later says the band is inactive and that attempts to record a full-length after the reunion tour fall apart.

In 2014 the band releases a split 7-inch with Circa Survive for Record Store Day. Its contribution, “Lipton Witch”, is its first new material in 14 years.