Artist Spotlights: Sunami Reclaims the Heart of Hardcore With a West Coast Twist

Hailing from San Jose, California, Sunami brings the heart of the Bay Area to the hardcore scene, with its traditionally agressive sound, powerful lyrics, and album art reminiscent of authentic street culture.

Artist Spotlights introduces you to small artists that may not be on your radar yet, but should be. With recently cancelled tours and income loss for small artists, there’s no time like the present to find new talent to support.

Written by Mar Carmona

Photo courtesy of Scoped Exposure

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While popular hardcore bands such as Turnstile are being applauded for their experimentation with their unique take on hardcore involving alternative and indie elements, Sunami is bringing the heart of hardcore back to its roots. With a sound characterized by aggressive vocals, speedy riffs, and anti-authority messages, the California band is reviving the traditional values of the hardcore scene and making a name for itself through its music. 

Rooted in punk, hardcore music traditionally offers a more agressive take on conventionally punk musical elements. Often involving vocal elements such as shouting and screaming alongside heavy and hard-hitting drumming, the speedy rhythms within hardcore music are a departure from the melodies found in earlier punk and punk subgenres. Sunami’s discography embodies all of these elements alongside powerful lyrics fueled with familiar messages of rage and anarchy that transport the listener back to the beginnings of the hardcore scene’s inherent intensity.

Praised by underground hardcore enthusiasts, Sunami’s 2019 debut EP, Demonstration, is rooted in messages of violent anti-authority and aggressive assertiveness. The band channels California’s hardcore roots in “Weak Die First,” with lyrics that fuse the band’s combative messaging with pride for their hometown: “Yeah that's right motherf-ckers, comin' at you on some San Jose bullshit / All you cowards can step up and get smacked the f-ck up Sunami style, b-tch.” The EP invokes traditional hardcore with hints of metal vocal elements as vocalist Josef Alfonso incorporates yelling and growling into the band’s heavy tracks. In traditional Sunami style, the EP often includes the sampling of famous lines from films such as the 2014 piece “Jamesy Boy” that depict the band’s authentically intense style. In “Contempt of Cop,” Sunami expresses the band’s own experiences and disdain with the police force, bringing out conventionally hardcore elements of rebellion, resentment, and collective rage through intense lyrics: “From the blood on my hands / To the blue in your shirt / Come at us sideways gonna put you in the dirt.” In this track and others alike, the band mixes shouting vocals from the lead singer as well as lines from other hardcore vocalists that creates a multi-faceted sound. The variety of voices in “Contempt of Cop” makes a unique standout as the band is able to diversify their sound while still being able to use traditional vocals such as shouting and screaming.

Photo courtesy of Chrisy Salinas

From its traditional hardcore musical influence to its street-styled album art, Sunami fuses their work with elements derived from California’s underground street and skateboarding subcultures. Sunami’s Demonstration album cover features their logo in traditional graffiti with apparel displaying the members' San Jose roots, nodding back to elements of street and gang culture inherent within the history of the scene. Musicians, fans, skateboarders, and those familiar with street art recognize graffiti as an art form of the authentic expression of rebellion and revolt against the establishment. These are scenes rooted in territorial loyalty and in opposition to the individuals and institutions that may threaten them. The band’s incorporation of anti-police images and street art highlights the raw nature of hardcore, the scenes that influenced them, and the band’s unwavering pride and defense of their hometown.

In 2021, Sunami partnered with hardcore band Gulch, on the collaborativeSunami/Gulch Split, which featured an array of tracks that balanced both of the band’s distinct styles. In March, the duo will tour together on the Not So Fun tour, which sold out in multiple cities within minutes, leaving Austin hardcore fans scrambling to gain entry into the explosive show. Suanmi’s high-intensity shows are notorious for heavy dancing and moshing, with the energetic rush of the band’s live performance radiating into the crowd. 

As genre-fusing experimentation dominates hardcore bands and steers artists towards indie and shoegaze-inspired instrumentation, Sunami’s harsh vocals, belligerent drumming, and rage-fueled lyrics are a breath of fresh air for fans. Their signature sound, along with their representation of California’s street culture, are an ode to the hardcore scene that swept their hometown. Together with its laid-back internet image and a growing fan base of passionate moshers, this band from the Bay brings us back to the heart of aggressiveness that connects all hardcore fans alike.

Listen to Sunami on Spotify and follow the band on Instagram @sunami.408 and Twitter at @sunami408.