THE SUNNY SMILES THREE Release B-ROADS EP
Leeds trio previews forthcoming album with indie-folk EP influenced by Dylan, I Am Kloot and Wilco.
Leeds trio THE SUNNY SMILES THREE has released a new EP titled 'B-Roads,' offering a preview of the band's forthcoming album 'Plan Your Escape.' The EP features two tracks from the upcoming album alongside two non-album tracks. The release is described as indie/psych/folk with touches of Dylan, I Am Kloot, Roy Harper and Wilco.
About The Sunny Smiles Three
The Sunny Smiles Three are described as an alt-indie acoustic psych-folk trio singing about life, love, loss, death, the meaning of life and various 'weird stuff,' performing with drums, bass, acoustic guitar and singing with occasional 'other stuff' on top. The band's name comes from the 1960s / 1970s fundraising scheme 'Sunny Smiles' — small pictures of children torn out of a booklet and sold by children to other children for charity.
The band formed in Leeds, UK in 2018, though conflicting schedules mean the members aren't often even in the same country, let alone city. They get together whenever they can, lock themselves away and emerge with new recordings.
The band has previously been recorded by Neil Ferguson, described as a renowned alt-folk producer and chief engineer / member of Chumbawamba, and more recently by Will Jackson, known for recording The Kaiser Chiefs, Pigeon Detectives, The Music, Embrace and The Smurfs.
Discography
2019 - Loveland EP (4-track)
2020 - Fireman, Spaceman, Mermaid (album)
2025 - Toys (3 tracks)
2025 - Some Everyday Hazards (album)
2025 - Enter Dr Beak (3-track)
2026 - B-Roads EP (4-track)
2026 - Coming soon: Plan Your Escape album (late 2026)
Members
John Parkes (singing, guitars, misc. sounds) has fronted a number of groups noted by night-time Radio One DJs and later 6 Music, including the late John Peel, who played something from every record Parkes made over a period of 14 years. Bands include THE CHORUS, GREENHOUSE, FUZZBIRD, FOLLOW THE MOTHS, THE SINISTER CLEANERS and WHOLE SKY MONITOR.
Alaric Lewis (bass guitar) has played bass guitar for various bands including BREAKING THE ILLUSION and more recently CYANIDE PILLS and SUZY BLU, though is mostly on tour working as a backline technician.
Simon Smith (drums and percussion) is best known as drummer in THE WEDDING PRESENT during the band's 'major label years,' as well as being in THE SINISTER CLEANERS, the first line-up of THE UKRAINIANS, CHA CHA COHEN and playing with BEACHBUGGY, GROOP DOGDRILL, RRRapid-Kool and others. Smith is also mostly on tour, working as a tour manager.
More on the release
Lyrical subject matter for the band has ranged from plague doctors through toys, imaginary friends, the Ark of the Covenant, love and longings, strange happenings, philosophical musings and, obliquely, Little Richard, as well as death. Alongside the music, the band has released lo-fi (and some slightly higher fi) videos made by Hoam Maid Films of Leeds, which often involve cut-outs of the band, broken toys and small fires on kitchen tables. These appear on distributor The Orchard's YouTube channel 'Radial by The Orchard.' The band's influences include Wilco, Callahan, I Am Kloot, Dylan, Mitchell and Young, with others also citing Roy Harper and Caravan.
The B-Roads EP previews two songs from the forthcoming 'Plan Your Escape' album alongside two additional tracks.
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