- “A heartfelt exploration of self-discovery and inner growth, healing and loss” Notion
- “Dreamy alt-indie, psych-pop and electronica stylings” Wonderland
- “A brew rooted in pop, electronic production, and drifting psych textures” Clash
- “A brave, honest and raw mastery of the singer’s beautiful voice and ability to draw you in from the first chord” Boys By Girls
Following the release of debut single Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It), Man-Made Sunshine has today released his first self-titled EP Man-Made Sunshine via RCA Records.
Man-Made Sunshine is the side project from Conor Mason (Nothing But Thieves), which was developed during lockdown, with Conor channelling his own self-discovery into a very personal musical project that blends elements of alt-indie, psych-pop and electronica into an experimental fresh new sound.
Debut single Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It) is about finding self-love and the survival to carry on and displays raw emotion through its powerful soul-inflected vocals and intimate avant-garde sound. Released at the end of September, it has been streamed almost 1 Million times so far with over 85K views of the accompanying visualiser.
The EP includes 4 other profound and personal songs, including Brain in A Jar, Little Bird, Rosebudand lead track Big, which delicately conveys Conor’s relationship with his father and their survival through the difficult role reversal of father and son. The accompanying video directed by Sonder. (Royal Blood, Arlo Parks, Gang of Youths) features Conor himself alongside intimate moments between real fathers and sons.
Conor says; “Big is about my relationship with my father. About him going through a horrendous time after our family split and attempting to take his life and me (being a lot younger) having to grow up overnight and adjust my role quickly to be there for him 'am I Big to you now'. I felt a burning empathy and saw a reflection to myself; my mistakes/my flaws were similar but also my naivety and sensitivity was similar; 'I remember your innocent heart, same that beats in me, ain't complete in me'. I found myself without really thinking about it 'stepping up to the plate'.”
Debut EP Man-Made Sunshine is a deep body of work that is honest and expressive, touching on sensitive and important subject matters, such as loss (Rosebud, Big), growth (Brain In A Jar) and acceptance (Little Bird, Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It)), with a pivotal conversation around mental health. It is available both digitally and on vinyl and the full tracklisting is as follows:
- Brain In A Jar
- Big
- Little Bird
- Life’s Gonna Kill You (If You Let It)
- Rosebud
This is just the wonderful beginning of Man-Made Sunshine.