Sunset Rollercoaster

SunsetRollercoaster

PHOTOS: Cheng Yo & Pei Yu Shen WORDS: Christopher Walsh

Independent Tawainese band, Sunset Rollercoaster, is dedicated to bringing feel-good vibes through their futuristic laidback 80s-style synth-pop. Implementing psychedelic elements into their sound, the band has become the frontline of Asia’s booming music industry. The band has recently won a Golden Melody Award — Taiwan’s equivalent of the Grammys — for the video for “Slow” off their 2018 album CASSA NOVA. Their most recent EP, Vanilla Villa, takes on elements of funk, R&B, and synthpop. The EP is meant to be listened to in full without skips to create this everlasting dream-like state. While shifting from their initial debut sound, which took more of an indie rock approach, the band began to evolve sonically after adding a new bassist and keyboard player, who heavily contribute to the jazz synth sound, during their four-year hiatus.

We had the chance to speak with them about what influences their sound, how the band formed, and more about the music scene in Taiwan.

Would you mind introducing yourselves? Hello all, We don’t mind introducing ourselves at all, Sunset Rollercoaster is a band from Taiwan, an island located in the Pacific Ocean. The subtropical weather is pretty humid out here, but we do have the best sunset by the sea, the best breezy wind in the afternoon during summer.

We are all big boys now, some of us are still nerdy, but all mature enough to play in a band, have self-control so our egos would act functionally and normally, we try our best to look chill and not to fuck up our lives or others lives too hard, the most important thing is, we love playing music!

How did you guys get into music? Most of us attended music club in high school, learning instruments from then. After entering college, we hung out in bars and venues, that’s how we got the idea of indie music and forming bands so we could write our own music.

Following that, how did the band come together? We usually hung out around Underworld, a small bar/venue in South Taipei, that always had bands or DIY parties during the weekend. After checking out and hearing so many bands there, we decided we wanted to make our own band. From the beginning, it was more like a collective, we jammed in our living room with a different line up every time, until we booked our first show at Underworld.

PHOTO: Cheng Yo

Your latest EP, Vanilla Villa, took quite the shift from the upbeat 70s - 80s disco influence shown in your last project Cassa Nova. What is the inspiration behind taking on this more jazz-influenced sound?

We were really into psychedelic music at a certain point of time, to us, the most psychedelic album is Stone Flower from Antonio Carlos Jobim-- all the melodies, harmonies and rhythms fuse into a melting, and mellow psychedelic journey. It’s so beautiful and it purified our souls. This made us dive into the 70’s jazz, soul, and fusion music world.

Has the music scene in Taipei influenced how the band’s sound has evolved throughout the years?

Definitely. But it is a subtle and subconscious way of evolving. Things move slowly in Taipei, so time works deeply, sometimes you won’t even notice that things are changing. It was not a casual thing to play in bands, the scene was pretty small, people are really connected to each other, supported each other, like Taiwan night market, things were raw and powerful. Now the scene is getting bigger, and more diverse, but somehow, it’s more like shopping in a department store. It’s not a bad thing though, just a process of evolving.

Tell us about VANILLA VILLA!

Vanilla Villa is a sci-fi love story! It’s across spices romance, just like men, alien creatures fall in love with earthlings, and he made a nest somewhere in outer space called Villa for having babies. These newborn species have vanilla smell naturally.

Can fans expect a North American tour anytime soon?For sure, in October.Who are you guys listening to at the moment?

Ned Doheny - Hard Candy Bill Evans - Empathy David Bowie - Let’s Dance Fleetwood Mac - Tusk 腰樂隊 - 相見恨晚 張國榮 - Leslie 任賢齊 - 愛像太平洋