Sonic Union, by Cursed Arrows

Sonic Union

by Cursed Arrows

supported by

Music Lives Cursed Arrows deliver stories of warning, love, corruption and loss. Each track features a new character, telling a different story, from a different place. Sonic Union is heavy in blues, noise, feedback, tone and emotion. There are hints of Rock & Roll, Punk, Alternative, Grunge and Pop. Sonic Union commits to being a great Rock record. Cursed Arrows have created their most diverse offering to date. For our full review, visit www.musiclives.ca/album-review-cursed-arrows-sonic-union/ Favorite track: Publicity.

	/

Streaming + Download

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

Purchasable with gift card

$7 CAD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Promo Copy
Made in Canada
You get what you pay for!

Includes unlimited streaming of Sonic Union via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 1 day

$10 CAD or more
Full Digital Discography

14

releases

Get all 14 Cursed Arrows releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Crone, Mage, Rebirth, Jumpers, Jimmy's Dead, Couvre Projet, Stolen Sex Tapes, The Red Crows, and 6 more. , and , .

Purchasable with gift card

$37.50 CAD or more (50% OFF)
WATCH "LITTLE GIRL BLUE" AND "THE DESTRUCTOR" LIVE

1.	Little Girl Blue 04:46	buy track
2.	The Destructor 04:34	buy track
3.	Romulus And Remus 04:17
4.	Thought I Was A Nice Guy (But I'm An Asshole) 01:37
5.	Sonic Union 05:01	buy track
6.	Manic Death 04:28	buy track
7.	Passenger Ghost 03:12	buy track
8.	Hexhausted 02:23	buy track
9.	Unfortunate Few 04:05	buy track
10.	Publicity 05:41	buy track
11.	Trust Us 05:19	buy track

about

"Ain't but one kinda blues, and that consist between a male and a female that's in love." ~Son House

"Cursed Arrows deliver stories of warning, love, corruption and loss, among other things, over eleven tracks (45:28). Each track features a new character, telling a different story, from a different place. The liner notes with the download have a high resolution. I was able to read along with the record, something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I feel it keeps you attached to the music rather than being distracted by the rest of the world. Plus, I believe the sleeves, cases, liner notes, whatever you want to call them, are a visual extension of the album. So thanks for that Cursed Arrows. Sonic Union is heavy in blues. Heavy in noise and feedback and tone. Heavy in emotion. Heavy in soul. Not the Motown kind of soul. The, it’s from a special place, kind of soul. There are hints of Rock & Roll, Punk, Alternative, Grunge and Pop, but the album never commits to any of them. Sonic Union just dances around the fringes of said genres, staying true at the core, and commits to being a great Rock record. Cursed Arrows have created their most diverse offering to date with the marriage of so many styles. The name Sonic Union fits the album perfectly. Sonic Union and Cursed Arrows have me wishing all of my accidents could be this amazing."
~Music Lives (Canada)

"What makes Cursed Arrows interesting is the sense of inseparability of Ryan Stanley (guitar/vocals/drums) and Jack E Stanley (drums/vocals/guitar). Just as the band’s self-described instrumental order might show, they’re like two sides of the same coin, each contributing a piece of energy that isn’t complete without the other. Guitar/drum duos seem to make extra noise to compensate for the small array of instruments, and Cursed Arrows are no exception. But this album alters the formula somewhat with, among other things, Jack E’s bits of spoken-word which can be heard on a few songs amid manic guitar riffs and her own drumming. The band also varies the particular kind of rock they put out as they jump from song to song. Opener “Little Girl Blue” has an old-west feel with its stomp-and-clap rhythm and articulated guitar chords. “Romulus and Remus” on the other hand seems to have a bit of a blues influence behind it. While it may be called “Manic Death,” the song is just about the closest thing the band gets to writing a love song, of course expressed in their uniquely Cursed Arrows way. The band might be at its most all-out with “The Destructor.” There is no wasted time getting things as loud and heavy as they can be and features apocalyptic lyrics like “Fires are getting closer/The sun is boiling over.” Karl Marx would probably be pretty happy if he were alive today to hear “Unfortunate Few” with its lyrics about exploitation of the working class. And there’s definitely a bit of self-deprecation with the quick song “Thought I Was a Nice Guy (But I’m An Asshole).” The album ends on with “Trust Us,” a cover of a Captain Beefheart tune that manages to stay faithful to the original material while at the same time injecting Cursed Arrows’ sensibilities into it and cutting two minutes from the original song length.
Get into it. Rock out to it.
~Grayowl Point (Canada)

"Now here is something which sounds familiar but clearly is not. Rooted in the same sort of garage rock which spawned, yes the White Stripes and others such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Cursed Arrows nevertheless manage to offer up something different. Although the music drives, it is not as necessarily dependent on the sort of driving rhythm as, say those naughty rebels riding motorcycles, nor is there the overreliance on a melodic riff which often characterises the White Stripes. What the Cursed Arrows do is take the same sort of stripped down sound which so often forms a cliché as a lazy way of describing music, but then put it back together in a manner which is neither lazy nor clichéd. "The Destructor" is perhaps the classic exemplar of this. The melody is buried somewhat under distorted guitars and even more distorted vocals while the rhythm drives the song forward. The familiar elements are there, it is just that the Cursed Arrows put them together in a way you do not expected. That is not to say they subsume melodies altogether - "Romulus and Remus" clearly owes more to something like the Dirtbombs than to Titus Livius Patavinus (get that classical reference in there) but just when you were getting familiar with it, it slows down, cranks the echo up on the vocals and drifts into something which would not sound out of place with Hawkwind. What the Cursed Arrows have managed to do is infuse a familiar sound with a new life and a distinctive edge to it. Vocal duties are shared, not evenly perhaps, but both Ryan and Jack have distinctive voices which suit different segments of the music well. Jack Stanley shines particularly on "Manic Death" with a double vocal track. In truth, she has the stronger voice as a comparison with the subsequent track, "Passenger Ghost" will demonstrate. But never let it be said that there was any drawback in the vocal department. What the Cursed Arrows have managed to do is serve up something which should appeal to a wide audience. I suspect that the songs sound better live and that is clearly the route the band should take in promoting their development. But above all, if you are looking for White Stripes clones, don't look here. This is all of its own."
~Music Emissions (US)

credits

released April 20, 2013

All songs by Cursed Arrows 2013 SOCAN
(except Trust Us by Don Van Vliet)

Jack E Stanley - Drums, Vocals, Guitar on tracks 5,6.
Ryan Stanley - Guitars, Vocals, Drums on track 5.

Recorded, produced and mixed by Cursed Arrows 2012.

Mastered in Toronto, ON by João Carvalho.

license

about

Cursed Arrows Nova Scotia

Our music seeks to translate and transmute our love and humanity into a listenable format. We live with our son, Fox, in close proximity to the sea in South Shore Nova Scotia. We released our 7th full length record, Crone, in 2022.

Recommendations

contact / help

Contact Cursed Arrows

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Cursed Arrows recommends:

Nothing Left Unsaid
by Ryan Stanley

Ryan Stanley is one half of Cursed Arrows. His first solo album, 2003's Nothing Left Unsaid, garnered the attention of his future wife and band-mate, who sought him out after hearing the record. Cursed Arrows
go to album

If you like Cursed Arrows, you may also like:

Wingmakers
by Doublestone

supported by 7 fans who also own “Sonic Union”

Vinyl Purchased 7/4/20. Got stiffed by the band and I got Paypal a refund, buyer beware! The Midnight Toker.
go to album
Vol. II
by Hard Rock Revolution

supported by 7 fans who also own “Sonic Union”

Un deuxième volume plus intéressant car plus varié. Et une petite pointe de chant féminin, ça fait toujours plaisir ! Poesy Rider
go to album
Worship the Sun
by Sonora Ritual

supported by 7 fans who also own “Sonic Union”

Started on Bandcamp around 2018 this was one of the first bands i discovered but i was strictly a CD guy. Now with shipping costs so expensive i also purchase digidal. That is why it has taken so fucking long to order this release.This their first release straight ahead desert rock.Nothing new or ground breaking just done right and when this genre is done right fucking aaay lloydd
go to album
Fist In The Air
by CHERUBS

Fuzzy Austin trio follow up their first album in 20 years, released in Spring 2015, with a stomping new EP of noisy rock & roll. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 26, 2016
go to album
Character Building
by Bad Bangs

Nostalgic, sweet, and just slightly offbeat garage rock with some truly stunning vocal work. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 30, 2021
go to album