A Sunny Day in Glasgow are an American shoegazing band formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2006, the band initially had a rotating line-up, with Ben Daniels as the only constant member. Since 2010, the group has consisted of Ben Daniels, Josh Meakim, Annie Fredrickson, Ryan Newmyer, Adam Herndon, and Jen Goma.
Background
A Sunny Day in Glasgow began as a collaboration between friends Ben Daniels and Ever Nalens, both of whom had recently returned to Philadelphia after several years in the UK.[2] The band name came from Nalens, who had been living in Glasgow, and Daniels kept it after Nalens left the project.[3] Daniels also asked his twin sisters, Robin and Lauren, to start singing on the songs they had been working on.
In March 2006 the band collected several songs and released them as an EP titled, The Sunniest Day Ever. The EP received attention from college radio, charting number 1 on NYU's WNYU, as well as music blogs, with Pitchfork Media contributing an early, favorable review.[2][4]
In 2006, the band signed to Notenuf Records and eventually released their debut LP, Scribble Mural Comic Journal in February 2007.[5] The record received widespread critical acclaim with Pitchfork Media giving the record an "8.0" and "Recommended" rating, while Drowned in Sound gave the album a "9/10" and called it a "contender for album of the year."[6][7] The band compiled outtakes from earlier recording sessions and released them as the Tout New Age EP in the Summer of 2007.
2009 saw the band release their second studio LP, Ashes Grammar. During the recording process, the band was forced to undergo several member changes. The first of these changes came when former bassist Brice Hickey fell when loading equipment into his car, breaking several bones in his legs. This left Ben Daniels to record the bass parts for the album, but also meant that vocalist Robin Daniels had to leave to care for the bedridden Hickey, who is her boyfriend. Lauren Daniels also had to leave the group, due to attending grad school in Colorado, forcing Ben Daniels and guitarist/drummer Josh Meakim to recruit vocalist Annie Fredrickson, also a classically trained cellist and pianist.[8] After the album was recorded, Ryan Newmyer joined as bassist and Meakim's friend Adam Herndon as drummer. In addition, through an advert via their Myspace blog, the band found another vocalist, Jen Goma.[9] The new line-up completed all of the songs from the Ashes sessions and released them as the Nitetime Rainbows EP in March 2010 and "Autumn, Again" later in October[10]
On June 24, 2014, they released their album Sea When Absent.