Sunbeam Sound Machine Shares The Songs That Inspired New Album 'Possum'

Toro y Moi - Freelance 

This whole album, Outer Peace, was a really big inspiration for Possum. It wasn’t about any of the particular sounds or themes, so much as how much fun it sounds like Chaz Bear had while making the album. It’s a really playful record and sounds like someone scratching whatever creative itches they feel like. This song epitomises that.

Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock’n’Roll 

I really like how silly this band is. Similarly to Toro, it just sounds like he’s singing whatever comes to mind in the moment to amuse himself. Somehow a song with the chorus ‘Hot dog/Jumping frog/Albuquerque’ just makes perfect sense. They also have quite a beautiful song about a man who’s in love with a horse.

Maggie Rogers - Alaska 

I first heard this song on an episode of the podcast Song Exploder. The chorus hit me right between the eyes, and I must have listened to it 20-30 times that night. It really crystallised what I wanted to aim for with Possum. It's pop music at its best, this perfect mix of euphoria and melancholy at the same time. I used to think that several layers of music was the way to achieve that feeling, but this song shows how it can be done quite minimally. 

Gregor - A Song About Holding Hands

This song is perfect. It captures so many of the feelings of being in love.  

Homeshake - Nothing Could Be Better

I love how this song is so vulnerable and so guarded at the same time. The whole Helium album is fantastic. 

Underworld - Jumbo 

I listened to this song a lot while I was making Possum. It's another that just sounds like it was so much fun to make. I love how it starts off as this strange, almost abrasive groove and opens up into a really beautiful floating piece of music, almost without you noticing. It makes me smile every time I hear it. 

The S-Bends - Two States

We played with the S-Bends in 2019, and I remember being really blown away by this song live. It’s big and cinematic but so understated. It’s technically a duet, but the verses feel more like separate parts of the same story, which I think influenced the way I wrote Songs About You. 

Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World

This song is just so good. If you want to go for a run and feel like you can achieve anything, I recommend this song. 

Sunbeam Sound Machine's album Possum is out now.