Sunny Intervals combines indiepop, folk and light electronica, as put together in London by Andy, formerly of the band Pocketbooks. Active from 2012 to 2016, when he released three delicious albums, Rooftops (2012), Step Into Spring (2014) and Sunrise (2016), Sunny Intervals returned, after almost ten years, with Swept Away. It is “a late night whisper,” written over the course of a decade, and recorded as lightly and naturally as possible at home, mostly in Andy’s kitchen at night while the neighbourhood was sleeping, with acoustic guitars, light percussion, keyboards and soft synthesisers. A soft mix of indiepop, folk and light electronica, Swept Away was released in April 2025, and re-released as a deluxe Bandcamp version including the original 10-track album and the five-track Almost Imperceptibly EP (and a sort of disco remix of Electromagnetic) in November 2025.

What Andy Says: “This is one of the first songs I wrote for my Swept Away album, which I released in April 2025. I wanted to try and write a short, upbeat 1960s-style pop single, with multiple key changes and never exactly the same chorus twice! Lyrically, it’s about looking back and forwards at the same time. It’s a reminder to myself not to spend too long dwelling on fond past memories or missed opportunities.“

 

“In November, I released an EP with new versions of some of my earlier songs that were no longer widely available, including this new version of Sixty Seconds To Fall In Love. The original version was fun and slightly chaotic, whereas this is shorter, a bit calmer and the lyrics are a bit more focused. I really enjoyed combining a soft fingerpicked acoustic guitar with some lively synths on this one. The lyrics are about how quickly life passes by in a blur if we’re not careful.“

His Mixtape:

The Mummers – Call Me A Rainbow

This song is absolutely magical, and lifts me high up and away beyond London and daily life. It’s lush, theatrical and cinematic, and the orchestration and Raissa’s dreamy voice create something of almost other-worldly beauty. They seemed to have dozens of members, recorded in a south-coast treehouse and I’d really recommend their separate (and only) album, Tale to Tell. I guess it shares a musical ambition with albums like ‘Want One’ by Rufus Wainwright and parts of the recent FIZZ album ‘The Secret To Life’, which I really love.

 

Blake Babies – Out There

I was slightly too young for the US college radio bands of the 80s and early 90s, so have been gradually discovering it all since. This is at the upbeat and pop end of the spectrum, but there’s still such depth and intricacy in the songwriting, the chiming guitars and in Juliana Hatfield’s singing. More recently, I really love Bad Bad Hats who I think share some of this college radio sensibility and have a string of fantastic albums now.

   

The Go! Team – Gemini

The Go! Team have consistently released incredible albums, and their latest – 2023’s Get Up Sequences (Part 2) – is possibly my favourite of them all. Always inventive and surprising, and bringing so much joy and energy. I love their inventive use of sampling (for example, the ‘Turn It Around In Your Mind’ sample on ‘The Wrath of Marcie’ is inspired!) and their songwriting and approach to melody is so catchy and unique.

 

Mt. Misery – Hey! 

I first heard of Mt. Misery through a fanzine called In The April Sun, which has also switched me on to lots of great bands like Assistant, Little Oso, Goodbye Wudaokou and The Rosslyns. This song is a great slice of dreamy pop, with beautiful harmonies, recalling the best of bands like Big Star, The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub.

 

Honey Cone – Want Ads

It’s just a amazing song, and also sampled to brilliant effect on the Avalanches track Because I’m Me. I love the structure and the punchy intro, and it’s also a fantastic example of how to keep a pop song shorter than three minutes.

  

Georgia Ruth – Chemistry

Georgia Ruth’s recent album, Cool Head, is one of my favourites from the last couple of years, and this song with Euros Childs is one of many highlights. The arrangement is subtle and beautiful, and her singing and the melodies and harmonies are incredibly emotive. I love the way it gradually builds and builds, adding strings and layers of harmonies.

 

Cornershop – People Power

I love the album Handcream for a Generation, which includes this ace disco song within a wildly ambitious party-vibes album encompassing funk, soul, sitars, reggae, rock, house music and more. It manages to be fun, bold, uncompromising and joyful all at the same time.

 

Ant Gallery – Dance To Graceland

I’m writing this at the end of 2025, and this is possibly my favourite song of the year – it’s is an astonishing debut single from a band I know very little about! There’s lush harmonies, evocative lyrics, and a slight hint of jazz. This song could be on any film soundtrack and I’m really excited to see what they do in the years ahead! 

Swept Away (deluxe edition) is out now. Look HERE for more information on Sunny Intervals.