We are pleased to announce the release of Sunshine In The Night, the debut solo album by Joe Sumner, set for October 6, 2023 on Rooley Records/BFD/The Orchard. Not that it hasn’t been a long time coming, but things tend to happen when they should.
A full album, delivered just before COVID, sporting 12 brilliant folk-pop gems, sat on the loading dock for the better part of 2 years before there was even a discussion about next steps. Be that as it may, an impending 2020 Presidential Election prompted the release of a first single, “Hope,” rush ordered by the Biden campaign and co-opted for the soon-to-be-POTUS’ good fight. Concurrently, Sumner enlisted a diverse list of friends (and family) to participate in a singalong video of the song that included folks like Ben Folds, Juliana Hatfield, Gaby Moreno, and Sting, not to mention Joe and Mika from MSNBC Morning Joe, debuted it on-air the Friday before the now-controversial Election. Subsequently, “Hope” was also released as a 7” single for Record Store Day Black Friday later that November.
Two more album tracks, “You, You, You” and “Looking For Me, Looking For You,” were rolled out in 2022 with the help of American Songwriter, Rolling Stone and others amid an almost ceaseless touring agenda supporting Sting and playing solo dates the world over. A November 2022 date in France was captured for a live EP, Feelin’ The Love, Tastin’ The Fear.
The rest of Sunshine In The Night, produced by Tom Syrowski, graces us with a full platter of truly memorable sounds. “Live Life,” the album’s upcoming single, is an ebullient salvo to the resilience of the human spirit and the impermanence of life itself. “Don’t Change The Love,” jumps out big like Lennon in the ‘70s. “Don’t Go Away” is, at once, heart wrenching and triumphant in its honesty, with a seductive psychedelic break to boot, and the lush blue-eyed soul of “See You Again” takes us through an ethereal portal that begs multiple listens.
Kicking off his musical career in London in the nineties, Sumner spent far more than the mandatory 10,000 hours perfecting his craft. There, he formed a band called Santa’s Boyfriend, which subsequently became the beloved trio, Fiction Plane. The band enjoyed several years developing a well-cultivated, worldwide fan base and playing an 18-month tour supporting another trio, The Police before parting ways.
Sunshine In The Night, Sumner’s long-awaited full-length, is the best of two worlds - a sonically epic masterwork that somehow manages to also feel intimate.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
All dates in support of Sting, except where noted.
Thu 31 Aug Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
Fri 01 Sept Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
Sat 02 Sept Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
Sun 03 Sept Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock at Etess Arena
Tue 05 Sept Toronto, ONT Budweiser Stage
Thu 07 Sept Boston, MA MGM Fenway Music Hall
Fri 08 Sept Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Theater
Mon 11 Sept New York, NY City Winery Loft *SOLO*
Thur 14 Sept Boston, MA City Winery Haymarket *SOLO*
Fri 15 Sept Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amph.
Sun 17 Sept Austin, TX Moody Center
Wed 20 Sept Denver, CO Red Rocks
Thu 21 Sept Denver, CO Red Rocks
Sat 23 Sept Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amph.
Tue 26 Sept Portland, OR Moda Theater
Wed 27 Sept Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena
Fri 29 Sept Vancouver BC Rogers Arena
Mon 02 Oct San Francisco, CA Concord Pavilion
Wed 04 Oct San Diego, CA Cal Coast Open Theater
Sat 07 Oct Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Mon 09 Oct Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theater
Thu 12 Oct Rogers, AR Walmart Amphitheater
Sat 14 Oct Dallas, TX Toyota Music Factory
Sun 15 Oct Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pav.
For more information, please visit: https://www.joesumnersings.com/ and follow @thejoesumner on all social media platforms.
