“Just a thousand more afternoons till I’m with you.”
Sun Cell is the alias of artist-producer Daryl Hor. Making its debut in 2022, the Singaporean solo project draws heavily from influences of 80s new wave and post-punk to create its own spin on the genres. Sun Cell explores themes of melancholy and retrospection, aiming to craft a nostalgic sound that carries a sense of yearning. His debut album, Movements (In the Dark), completes his previously released EP, Movements, loosely based on the story of his grandparents in a narrative of love and loss.
“Coastlines” begins the album on a mellow, indie rock note, with an upbeat drum beat backed by bass grooves paired with Hor’s drowned out vocals. Accompanied by a set of simple, yet tasteful lead lines, the track builds nicely and carries a fun, yet wistful energy. Following song “hard to find” follows in this path, ushering in a summery feel with the introduction of reverb-loaded guitar ambience. The inspiration of Hor’s grandparents’ story can be vaguely felt in the lyrics, taking the form of a love song.
“marry me” shifts the album in a more straightforwardly melancholic direction. Reverb-heavy vocals and subtle guitar layers undeniably harken back to Hor’s influences, giving the track an older shoegaze feel mixed in with the album’s overall post-punk style. All this sets up the stage for “afternoons”, which leans fully into the shoegaze influences as the guitars become progressively effect-laden. Building gradually in intensity as the song progresses, the lush, atmospheric backing juxtaposed with heavier, distorted guitars build an introspective soundscape that culminates in an explosion of shoegaze energy at the end. Singing longingly about loss, Hor’s calming voice matches the track’s feel, resulting in a fulfilling experience. There is also an interesting evolution in the album’s sound as it slowly incorporates more and more of Hor’s influences.
As interlude track “midnights” transitions into “your house”, there is a blend of the two main styles explored on the album. Starting on a similar note to “Coastlines”, a smooth yet punchy bassline punctuated by clean-tone guitar leads carry the verse. The song slows down to a twist, giving way to an almost hypnotic heavy shoegaze section as effect-heavy tremolos fill the space.
The second half of the album sees a few collaborations with other Singaporean bands and artists, the first of which being with alt rock band Nosedive on “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart”. Nosedive take centre stage vocally, providing an interesting contrast with Hor’s performance thus far. Dreamy instrumentals give the track a floaty presence that adds to the diversity in styles that the album presents.
“june” is a collaboration with singer-songwriter Xena Giam, taking the album in an acoustic-country pop direction. A noticeably different yet cohesive direction for the album, it features Giam’s soulful vocals in a duet with Hor. The sonically fluid nature of the second half is intriguing as it adapts to the influence of the different collaborators. The country direction extends into “forever but never,”, which sees Hor performing solo for the only time in this second half.
Closer “for now, not ever” sees shoegaze band motifs (whose debut album I wrote for) join the track. The familiar dreamy tones of motifs’ sound are immediately apparent, with frontwoman Elspeth Ong taking the forefront. Layered with nostalgic synth tones, much of what drew me to motifs’ music are present here as they join hands with Sun Cell to craft a truly wistful soundscape. It’s a rather apt choice to end the album with, closing on a ruminative note.
Despite being comprised of two parts, Movements (In The Dark) comes together as a whole quite well, with a cohesive feel to its various sounds explored. Sun Cell’s take on these genres is heartfelt and quite enjoyable, with calming yet reflective soundscapes that make for an easy yet engaging experience.
8/10
Movements (In The Dark) releases on the 24th of January through No Saints Allowed. Pre-save the album here. More information about Sun Cell can be found here.