more from
Hen House Studios
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Simple Syrup

by Sunny War

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Sunny War - Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. One of the more powerful songs on the album, “Deployed and Destroyed” is about a friend that Sunny knew from the streets. A veteran of the Iraq Wars, she watched him fall apart from PTSD, another vet who was unable to get the care he needed and is now homeless and suffering from severe mental trauma. Watching so many friends fall apart under the pressures of COVID–losing jobs, being left behind–motivated Sunny to do more, to make change. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup coming in March 2021. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Simple Syrup via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days

      $18 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    As Sunny War's newest masterpiece, Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than ever before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

    Recorded in Venice, CA at Hen House Studios.
    Produced by Harlan Steinberger.
    Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios.

    Blue & Red Split Vinyl LP - Limited Edition of 350

    TRACKLIST:
    A1 Lucid Lucy
    A2 Mama’s Milk
    A3 Like Nina
    A4 Kiss A Loser
    A5 A Love So True
    B1 Losing Hand
    B2 Love Is A Pest
    B3 Its Name Is Fear
    B4 Deployed And Destroyed
    B5 Eyes
    B6 Big Baby

    Includes unlimited streaming of Simple Syrup via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 5 days

      $75 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    As Sunny War's newest masterpiece, Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than ever before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

    Recorded in Venice, CA at Hen House Studios.
    Produced by Harlan Steinberger.
    Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios.

    Blue & Red Split Vinyl LP - Limited Edition of 350

    TRACKLIST:
    A1 Lucid Lucy
    A2 Mama’s Milk
    A3 Like Nina
    A4 Kiss A Loser
    A5 A Love So True
    B1 Losing Hand
    B2 Love Is A Pest
    B3 Its Name Is Fear
    B4 Deployed And Destroyed
    B5 Eyes
    B6 Big Baby

    Includes unlimited streaming of Simple Syrup via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 5 days

      $35 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    As Sunny War's newest masterpiece, Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than ever before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

    Recorded in Venice, CA at Hen House Studios.
    Produced by Harlan Steinberger.
    Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios.

    Blue & Red Split Vinyl LP - Limited Edition of 350

    TRACKLIST:
    A1 Lucid Lucy
    A2 Mama’s Milk
    A3 Like Nina
    A4 Kiss A Loser
    A5 A Love So True
    B1 Losing Hand
    B2 Love Is A Pest
    B3 Its Name Is Fear
    B4 Deployed And Destroyed
    B5 Eyes
    B6 Big Baby

    Includes unlimited streaming of Simple Syrup via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 10 

      $75 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited! Only a few left! - As Sunny War's newest masterpiece, Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than ever before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

    Recorded in Venice, CA at Hen House Studios.
    Produced by Harlan Steinberger.
    Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios.

    Blue & Red Split Vinyl LP - Limited Edition of 350

    TRACKLIST:
    A1 Lucid Lucy
    A2 Mama’s Milk
    A3 Like Nina
    A4 Kiss A Loser
    A5 A Love So True
    B1 Losing Hand
    B2 Love Is A Pest
    B3 Its Name Is Fear
    B4 Deployed And Destroyed
    B5 Eyes
    B6 Big Baby

    Includes unlimited streaming of Simple Syrup via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 10 

      $100 USD or more 

     

1.
Lucid Lucy 03:37
The day was bad glad to see it end It seems the bed is your only friend Choose where you go and see where you have been Lucid Lucy you’ll see stars again Tears in this world become waterfalls Where there’s no borders where there are no walls Where happiness is no dream at all Lucid Lucy you’ll be ten feet tall Keep your eyes closed Closed real tight Let them shuffle at the speed of light Hold the nice ones even hold the mean Tell your secrets tell them anything No need to worry it’s only a dream Lucid Lucy you’ll see everything Dance in shadows dance with the deceased See the west then go see the east The waking hour you will like the least Lucid Lucy you’ll be on your feet Keep your eyes closed Closed real tight Let them shuffle at the speed of light Go all the places you haven’t tonight As your heart races to your souls delight Lucid Lucy Lucid Lucy Lucid Lucy You sleep tight alright Rest easy tonight Sweet dreams and Goodnight
2.
Mama's Milk 02:29
Boy I can’t wait til they pass you the peace pipe You need to calm down check yourself Get your head right Get a therapist go to church if you need to I do not exist to uplift or appease you I think it’s real sad your daddy taught you not to cry But if you think you’ll treat me bad and I’mma stay then you a lie I’ll spit ya back up again Like ya did mammas milk musta thought I’d feed ya I’ll spit ya back up again For the win for the kill boy I don’t need ya I’ll spit ya back up again And drink til the bad taste fades away Forget your name by the end of the day Take a vacay from the ways that you’re used to It’s a new day Find a way to a new you I’m really not sure what you thought I signed up for Skip the encore I’ve had enough I don’t need more I think it’s real sad your daddy taught you not to cry But if you think you’ll treat me bad and I’mma stay then you a lie I’ll spit ya back up again Like ya did mammas milk musta thought I’d feed ya I’ll spit ya back up again For the win for the kill boy I don’t need ya I’ll spit ya back up again And drink til the bad taste fades away Forget your name by the end of the day I’ll spit ya back up again Like ya did mammas milk musta thought I’d feed ya I’ll spit ya back up again For the win for the kill boy I don’t need ya I’ll spit ya back up again And drink til the bad taste fades away Forget your name by the end of the day
3.
Like Nina 04:41
Tell me that I look Like Nina Got her same demeanor Same sad look in my eyes Girls like us don’t dance like Tina Sing love songs like Aretha Ain’t got no Beyhive Boy I say I’m tired cos I am Trying to save the world with my bare hands All you need is love and a plan Call me when you wanna be a man Call me when you wanna be a man Call me when you want to Tell me that I look Like Nina Starstruck since I seen her Her voice immune to lies Girls like us don’t dance like Tina Sing love songs like Aretha Ain’t got no Beyhive Boy I’m really leaving cos I can All that you’ve been needing’s all that I am All I need is love and a plan Call me when you think you give a damn Call me when you wanna be a man Call me when you think you really can Call me when you wanna be a man Call me when you want to
4.
Kiss A Loser 04:04
I’m pretty sure I wanna be alone right now I’m pretty sure I need to go home now You can’t be my friend you do not know how And if I let you in I’ll be your end somehow Cos I’m a riot in the bed a bullet in your head I’ll tell you that I love you while I’m wishing you were dead Smoke and I drink puke in the kitchen sink Come and kiss a loser if that’s really your kink Bless your heart you think I’m playing games right now Bless your heart you think I’m being tame now You can’t clean my mess you do not know how And if I let you in I’ll be your end some how Cos I’m a riot in the bed a bullet in your head I’ll tell you that I love you while I’m wishing you were dead Smoke and I drink puke in the kitchen sink Come and kiss a loser if that’s really your kink I can be your lover I can be your downfall Be your rock bottom baby how you lose it all I can be your lover I can be your downfall Be your rock bottom baby how you lose it all Cos I’m a riot in the bed a bullet in your head I’ll tell you that I love you while I’m wishing you were dead Smoke and I drink puke in the kitchen sink Come and kiss a loser if that’s really your kink I’m a riot in the bed a bullet in your head I’ll tell you that I love you while I’m wishing you were dead Smoke and I drink puke in the kitchen sink Come and kiss a loser if that’s really your kink
5.
The days are slow the nights are long And all the love that you’ve known has come and gone Birds are singing in your ear and the air is so sweet Don’t you know its that time of year when lovers meet Love me one time and I’ll love you too May the stars align for me and you And I am dreaming of the day the day your eyes meet mine And I am counting all the ways to do things right this time Cos I’ve been searching for my baby tell me is it you Cos I’ve been hurting so bad lately for a love so true A love so true a love so true It’s a slow burn but the flame is still there Everybody deserves a turn though game’s unfair Has it been long or has time stood still Have the ones who’ve done you wrong stolen loves appeal And I am dreaming of the day the day your eyes meet mine And I am counting all the ways to do things right this time Cos I’ve been searching for my baby tell me is it you Cos I’ve been hurting so bad lately for a love so true A love so true a love so true
6.
Losing Hand 02:19
I ain’t no scholar but need to turn a dollar into ten Love my Ma and wanna call her Tell her that she never need to work again Ain’t got no man ain’t got no baby Well just maybe I’ve been dealt that losing hand I ain’t no doctor but know a little bit about getting well Took my veins and made em softer Til I saw the tar pits down in hell Ain’t got no man ain’t got no baby Well just maybe I’ve been dealt that losing hand Sure is a gamble every time I live to see another day Well I rumble and I ramble Lost but still gotta find my way Ain’t got no man ain’t got no baby Well just maybe I’ve been dealt that losing hand Well just maybe I’ve been dealt that losing hand Well just maybe I’ve been dealt that losing hand
7.
I don’t know what you’ve been told But I walk the lonely road There is no glitter and there’s no gold My only friends name is me My dream has been to stay free Blow in the wind quite happily You made my heart say boom boom Fireworks all in my chest I’m howling at that big moon I can’t sleep I can’t rest Love is P E S T a pest yeah Baby I’m hot and I’m cold I return dreams that I’m sold But you are the one that I want to hold I walk the streets on my own I feel complete all alone But you walk through walls like no one I’ve known You made my heart say boom boom Fireworks all in my chest I’m howling at that big moon I can’t sleep I can’t rest Love is P E S T a pest yeah You made my heart say boom boom Fireworks all in my chest I’m howling at that big moon I can’t sleep I can’t rest Love is P E S T a pest
8.
I hear birds sing from my window Wish they could teach me to be free Took for granted when I was though Now prison walls close in on me The life we knew it came and went Ready or not the change is here We can’t renew the time we spent There’s a new game its name is fear All radios have gone silent The bars are closed the schoolyards too Fear turns sadness into violence Our concrete jungle…now a zoo The life we knew it came and went Ready or not the change is here We can’t renew the time we spent There’s a new game its name is fear Stay inside and hide your faces If you must leave put on a mask Isolation is the safest How longs unknown so please don’t ask The life we knew it came and went Ready or not the change is here We can’t renew the time we spent There’s a new game its name is fear
9.
He only calls when he’s in jail thinks I have money for his bail I still love you we’re still friends But I can’t bail you out again Twenty-six and a homeless Vet Told me all this on the day we met I still love you we’re still friends But I can’t calm you down again You’d believe in angels if you heard him sing He’s got a gift only hardships bring He’s been called a man since he was a boy Fought for Uncle Sam and they left him Deployed destroyed He’s from a small town in the south A town he dreamed of getting out He loved his mother loved his pa But longed to see more than he saw The troops they came down to his school To make sure their front lines stayed full He loved his mother loved his pa But had to join cos duty called You’d believe in angels if you heard him sing He’s got a gift only hardships bring He’s been called a man since he was a boy Fought for Uncle Sam and they left him Deployed destroyed
10.
Eyes 03:19
When you speak words that aren’t true I feel it in my chest It hurts to doubt or question you Puts love to the test You could ask my mother Even ask my Pa You’d best to find another I ain’t the one at all I got eyes in the back of my head Guardian angels too Friends that are living and dead baby Watching all that I do All that I do Some may say I’m haunted Others call it blessed Either way I’m unwanted Leave my lover stressed The devil tried to meet me Trespassed my dreams But before he could greet me He was cast away and screamed She got eyes in the back of her head Guardian angels too Friends that are living and dead baby Watching all that she do All that she do I got eyes in the back of my head Guardian angels too Friends that are living and dead baby Watching all that I do I got eyes in the back of my head Guardian angels too Friends that are living and dead baby Watching all that I do All that I do
11.
Big Baby 04:18
Can’t get this melody outta my head They say come now sweet lady Bring your big baby Broken guitar Soft spoken bizarre Because she whines and she cries She steals she lies She driving me crazy She’s mine but she hates me Can’t get this melody outta my head Can’t get this melody outta my head We play it all wrong Every single song With strings old and dirty Big baby’s almost thirty Yeah she talks til I sweat No rules or regrets What’s left of her frets Hasn’t given up yet Can’t get this melody outta my head I want this melody outta my head babe I need this melody outta my head Outta my head outta my head

about

Speaking with Sunny War, her mind roves endlessly, jumping between topics, spilling out rapid fire thoughts like her wildly inventive guitar playing. The pandemic has driven many away from their creative centers, but Sunny’s been uncommonly busy. She founded a Los Angeles chapter of the nonprofit Food Not Bombs and put together a network of volunteers to distribute vegan food to the homeless. She marched for BLM in protest against police brutality and found time to cut a new album at her favorite spot, Hen House Studios in Venice Beach. Sunny’s last album brought her universal praise and a powerful Tiny Desk performance at NPR. You’d think that the next album would bring a whole suite of expectations, but Sunny shrugged these off easily. She’s motivated less by what others expect and more by her own inner muse, and she’s surrounded herself with an artistic group of friends who are constantly writing, recording, and playing music.

Simple Syrup has a vibrant, loose feel, more focused on the interplay with the musicians than before. Sunny’s new songs touch on everything from romance to politics, jumping easily between larger concepts like the expectations for famous Black women in American art (“Like Nina”) and smaller ideas like “Kiss A Loser”, her ode to her own drunken self in relationships. One of the more powerful songs on the album, “Deployed and Destroyed” is about a friend that Sunny knew from the streets. A veteran of the Iraq Wars, she watched him fall apart from PTSD, another vet who was unable to get the care he needed and is now homeless and suffering from severe mental trauma. Watching so many friends fall apart under the pressures of COVID–losing jobs, being left behind–motivated Sunny to do more, to make change. Surrounded by relentless pressures from societal change, Sunny worked more closely with her community and embarked on a nearly year-long recording spree that brought two EPs (one of which, Can I Sit With You?, made a number of Best of 2020 lists) and now Simple Syrup coming in March 2021. The pandemic has been a crucible for Sunny, burning away the parts of the old world that didn’t truly matter and leaving her with a new purpose.

Produced by Harlan Steinberger at Hen House Studios

credits

released March 26, 2021

1. Lucid Lucy (3:39)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Niall Taro Ferguson - cello

2. Mama’s Milk (2:30)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass, background vocal
Paul Allen - drums
Matt DeMerritt - saxophone

3. Like Nina (4:42)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Milo Gonzalez - electric guitar

4. Kiss A Loser (4:05)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Paul Allen - drums, tambourine

5. A Love So True (3:34)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass
Paul Allen - drums

6. Losing Hand (2:20)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass
Paul Allen - drums
Niall Taro Ferguson - cello

7. Love Is A Pest (3:30)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Milo Gonzalez - electric guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass
Paul Allen - tablas
Matt DeMerritt - saxophone
Harlan Steinberger - bells

8. Its Name Is Fear (3:22)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar, bass

9. Deployed And Destroyed (3:55)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass

10. Eyes (3:20) (Featuring Angelo Moore)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar
Aroyn Davis - bass
Paul Allen - surdo, tamborine
Niall Taro Ferguson - cello
Angelo Moore - background vocals, theremin

11. Big Baby (4:18)
Sunny War - vocals, acoustic guitar

TRT: 39:22

All songs written by Sunny War

Recorded at Hen House Studios
Produced by Harlan Steinberger

Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Photos by Randi Malkin Steinberger
Cover painting by Henry Lipkis
Jacket design by Nikita Sorokin

* Explicit lyric on track 2 “Mama’s Milk” - “Oh Shit” during sax solo

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Sunny War Los Angeles, California

Sunny War is more than just an artist; she is a force of nature that is tough to pin down. What exactly is her style? Blues or punk? Yes, she may be a Robert Johnson with a shot of Bad Brains, but even this description falls short. The only way to really know Sunny is to immerse oneself in the music. Easy enough, right? ... more

shows

contact / help

Contact Sunny War

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Sunny War, you may also like: