Exclusive title track premiere of ‘Last Rays Of A Dying Sun’ by a band active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles, Rain Parade. Their upcoming album is out August 4th via Label 51.

‘Last Rays Of A Dying Sun’ manages to sound both like a lost classic and the groundbreaking work of an unknown new artist, emerging from their secret lair with a record ready to change the world. Matt Piucci and Steven Roback have been writing songs together since 1981, and are co-founders, along with David Roback, of Rain Parade. Their debut album, ‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip,’ released by Enigma Records in the US and Demon Records in the UK in 1983, is internationally recognized as a masterpiece. The follow up EP, ‘Explosions In The Glass Palace’ (Enigma US; Demon UK 1984) was recorded after David Roback left the band; it garnered the same high praise, and its reputation has been increasing ever since. Sid Griffin, author and leader of The Long Ryders has said: “We were in the Paisley Underground with Rain Parade back in the 1980s… Explosions In The Glass Palace is and will forever be the BEST recording from a Paisley Underground band, be it us, The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock or whomever.”

Piucci and Roback have since worked together on various projects, including several albums by Viva Saturn and the Hellenes; as well as 3×4 (Yep Roc 2018) with their friends The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’Clock.

Written primarily in the East Bay, the songs on ‘Last Rays Of A Dying Sun’ are the result of an artist letting the muse take the wheel. “They don’t usually ask first, they come when they come, like babies” says Piucci. “On the freeway, on a plane, in the backyard staring out into space, or sometimes when we are together, they emerge from the ether.” While neither preachers nor politicians, Piucci and Roback innately tap into the collective unconscious. The songs on the new record, while each standing on their own, paint a vivid picture of a society on the cusp of radical change when taken together.

The record was tracked at 25th Street Studios in Oakland, CA (owned by David Lichtenstein, son of pop art artist Roy Lichtenstein) and at producer Jim Hill’s studio in Los Angeles. “Jim is basically in the band” tells Piucci. “We don’t do anything without him.” In addition to Piucci and Roback, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun features long-time Rain Parade guitarist John Thoman, guitarist Derek See (the Gentle Cycle / Chocolate Watch Band / Dean & Britta), drummer and percussionist Stephan Junca (The Hellenes, boatclub), and vocalists Debbi and Vicki Peterson (The Bangles). Last Rays Of A Dying Sun will be the first release on Denver-basedFlatiron Recordings, on their imprintLabel 51. Flatiron Recordings is a new record company founded by Enigma Records co-founder Bill Hein, San Francisco and Boulder music vet and entrepreneur Andy Zicklin, and veteran music industry lawyer turned entrepreneur Fred Goldring.

Soaring, shimmering, and downright enthralling, ‘Last Rays Of A Dying Sun’ is an expertly crafted delight. Ready to take its rightful place in the canon of psychedelic rock, the record is a love letter to all who have ever laid out at night and watched the galaxies swirl. “As a band, we feel that creating a sound that is unique is essential. And we think that we have done that here” says Piucci. “As for how others respond to it, we feel that art is a deeply personal experience for the “end user”, if you will. We tend towards the impressionistic rather than expressionistic. In the end, we try to bring inspiration, comfort and or joy to our listeners… or at least a sense that they aren’t alone.”

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