The struggle and eventual spiral of chaos, confusion, and destruction that alcohol can cause isn’t easy to face, never mind capture for others to hear, but Sunblush has come crashing out of the gate with all that personal havoc in their debut single “Hamms.”
The disarray makes sense from an alternative rock/post-hardcore band that can only describe themselves as musical “ADHD.”
“I think we wear our influences on our sleeves pretty well, and we’ve gotten a lot of weird comparisons, from Fugazi to My Bloody Valentine to more modern bands like Drug Church and mewithoutYou, but I think overall we blend a lot of influences from loud ’90s guitar-driven bands like Dinosaur Jr. and a plethora of grunge bands, with a little healthy dose of shoegaze and hardcore. I think we never really sat down and said, ‘Let’s be this,’ and personally I sometimes hate being held to a certain genre because it’s mostly bullshit at the end of the day. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, though, I’d say we sound like what ADHD feels like,” guitarist/vocalist Justin Troutman explained.
“We tracked this one in July at Windmill Agency [in Mount Cobb] with [producer] Eric Ritter over the course of a few sessions. Working with Eric has been amazing, and I think he exceeded all expectations with how this track came out. It captures the energy we bring to life in such a perfect sonically pleasing way.”
For the past year, Troutman and guitarist/vocalist Tyler Bednash, bassist John Meholic, and drummer/vocalist Dom Nolan have unleashed that live vitality across their hometown of Scranton, so they’re more than ready to take on a wider audience with the recorded versions of those songs, starting with “Hamms,” which is premiering today exclusively on NEPA Scene.
While it includes the cheerful commercial jingle for the beer it’s named after, the lyrics are anything but happy, facing an all-too-familiar problem in Northeastern Pennsylvania and crying out for help.
“If you knew me around three years ago, you probably saw me with a Hamm’s beer in my hand. This song is a personal one and is really about the weird mental gymnastics that come with drinking too much. It was written as a reflection of what it feels like being hungover or numb to everything around you and trying to figure your shit out with no success. I quit booze about two years ago now, and this song is my farewell to that. When we wrote this, I wanted the song to sound like a drunk priest was giving a sermon, and I think we nailed it,” Troutman confessed.
“This is the very first track from the upcoming full-length album, and it somehow became a crowd favorite, but it’s also just a really fun song to play. I think we collectively felt like this is a great example of what we are, who we are, and I think sonically it covers a lot of bases.”
Before Sunblush, he spent years listening to and supporting other local bands while assuming his days of performing in one were behind him.
“Earlier last year, Tyler, John, and Dom connected via a Facebook post about playing music, and I ran into Tyler at James Barrett’s open mic at Voodoo [Brewing Company in Scranton] where he mentioned this and said I should consider getting together with them to see what happens. I was reluctant, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I missed playing, as it was about 15+ years since I’ve done anything with music. We eventually got together and found ourselves clicking pretty quickly and, next thing you know, we started writing and the rest is history. We had all played in bands throughout the last few decades – and all went to high school together – but somehow it took us all of this time to decide to try something together,” he recalled.
“It’s crazy how quickly time moves the older you get, and when we reached the point of being ready to play these songs live, we went headfirst and, honestly, every show feels so incredibly special, and we’ve met such incredible people in such a short time that have been so incredibly supportive and kind, which makes this entire thing feel so satisfying. We just completed recording our first album with Eric, and it’s pretty incredible sitting here and thinking about how this all came together in such a short time.
“I think what’s really special about Sunblush is that we’ve built this really strong brotherhood between us all and, any time we play, it feels therapeutic and fulfilling. You can so clearly see how this entire thing morphed track by track, and I think after a year and some change, we found this groove and bond that I haven’t felt in any other project. We’ve played a good amount of shows with some incredibly inspiring bands that actually inspired our own songwriting, and to be able to do that so quickly has been really incredible.”
Those shows include their first on Nov. 22, 2025 at Union Vapors 570 in Dickson City right up through Aug. 29, 2026 at Bazaar Skateshop in Scranton.
“We’ve gotten very lucky with the shows we’ve played, and every one of them has been special in different ways. Our first show was a bit of a mess with gear not working, but it was still such a great time. When we did [our first interview on] the NEPA Scene Podcast, we were gearing up for our first larger show at Mutant Brewing [in Scranton] with pretty much all of my favorite bands and friends locally. We had Esta Coda, Permanence, and The Broke Pines join us, and we played to a room of nearly 300 people. It was just a really positive experience seeing everyone forgetting that the world is bleak shitty place for a few hours and just enjoying original music. We played with Cloud Nothings, Knifeplay, and Loading a few weeks back at Bazaar Skateshop and that was really great. I’ve been a big fan of Cloud Nothings for a long time, and it was so great having that experience. Every set at that show was so honest and authentic, and it just felt so great.”
The positive reception from gigs like those led them to releasing a two-track demo in February.
“People have been really kind and supportive of what we’re doing, and I think we’ve created a really great following so far. We’re really excited to get this record out and see what the audience thinks. Guitar pedal enthusiasts tend to really love us, and I’m never one to not talk about gear,” Troutman noted.
“We kept getting asked when we were going to have music out because we kind of just started to play live, and we decided to record something at our home studio to give the world a little taste. We tracked two songs and put them out there, and the feedback was mostly positive. I always loved home recordings and lo-fi bands, so I definitely was really happy having something out there. These two songs will also be on the record, and I’m excited for people to hear the night and day differences. We record everything live, and every blemish and wart remains on these songs, and to me that’s special. Authenticity is everything for us! ‘My Therapist Watches You Sleep’ is the first song we ever wrote together, and it came together during our first session, and I still don’t understand the song at all structurally, but that was the launchpad we needed, so we decided that would be the first release on the demo. ‘Superdrugs’ was a song Tyler wrote, and it’s a noisy feedback heavy ripper that I love so very much.”
The upcoming album, which he calls “a really strong collection of deeply personal songs that I feel appeals to a lot of different demographics,” will feature 10 songs, and the group is already planning more for a follow-up EP as well as a tour.
“I hope to continue putting out new music as much as we can and as much as people will listen. We’re going to be the NEPA Guided by Voices… maybe,” he joked.
“We’re really excited for our next two shows. On Friday, Oct. 16, we play Union Vapors with our dear friends in Esta Coda, Sweetnest, S. Pine AK, and Ed Cuozzo of University Drive. I have known all of these bands and the people in them for well over 20 years. The next night, Oct. 17, we’re really honored to play the NEPA Scene 12th anniversary show at The V-Spot [in Scranton]. NEPA Scene has always been such an important part of this scene, and we’re so happy to pay our respects to all of your hard work and dedication to the incredible scene we are so lucky to be part of.”
With all this on the horizon, it’s hard to believe that, just a few of years ago, Troutman considered himself retired from music and “Hamms” was a poisonous way of life rather than a promising new chapter.
“I feel like you never know how much you need something until it comes back into your life. At the end of the day, I’m so grateful to be doing this with three of my best friends. I had a pretty shitty few years for a minute, and being able to share the worst parts of my life to an audience has made this so worth it. I used to go to pre-game shows with booze, but now it’s Advil and antacids, but the feeling hasn’t changed one bit,” he concluded.
“Be kind to everyone and support your community. We’re living in really dark times, but together we will overcome it. Go to a show! Support live music! Start a band! Follow Everything Evaporated and Sunblush on Instagram!”
Learn more about Sunblush in Episode 228 of the NEPA Scene Podcast: