Bright Sunshine's new release "Executive Power Supreme" is all business

When it comes to bands with an enhanced presence, such as themes or costumes, one question immediately comes to mind: Sincerity or shtick?

Some conclusions: KISS in make-up, shtick. Hell, KISS out of make-up, still shtick. The monstrous GWAR? Sincere.

If we were in a court of law and Phoenix band Bright Sunshine was on trial, I’d ask the jury to be seated as I explained that the verdict — after a complete and comprehensive process of compiling case discovery — is in. Sincere. The band is as real as it gets, as they use the tools and processes necessary to embody corporate culture to take it to task.

The longtime label for punk, metal, and indie rock, Reptilian Records, is on board for all the team’s summits; they even released the group’s brand new record, “Executive Power Supreme,” which can be evaluated for a performance review when the band plays live on June 28.

This high-powered executive team includes three veterans of local area loudness and audio debauchery: Chris Burns, Chief Vocal Communications Officer and GM of Low-Frequency Development; J. Brown, Chief High-Frequency Operations and Co-Vice President of Vocal Communications; and Eric Guthrie, Chief Percussion Operations Officer and Co-Vice President of Vocal Communications.

Together, they play self-proclaimed “punk as fuck heavy noise rock founded on execution and results.” They always give 150%, not 110%, because that bullshit is so 1990s, and it just doesn’t compete. That is not just their stance, it’s their mission statement.
It’s one thing to extol your mission and present from a position of extreme authority, but you have to back it up, and Bright Sunshine has a catalog to prove it.

2022’s “Southwest Executive Leadership Team” was their first full-length, which has nine sonic air-pushing, PowerPoint explosions, with titles like “Deliver Results,” “Mandatory All Hands Meeting” and “Team Building Potluck. Emphasizing their strength, bear witness to the song “Performance Review.” It opens with a face-puncher of a bass tone and its opening statement, “Hello, Gary, come on in, let’s get started. Your performance rating for this period is … meets expectations.” From there, Gary is informed that he gets a raise of 1.5%, but is forcefully told to keep quiet, as this is the biggest raise they’ve given out. And the “they?” That’s Bright Sunshine. The band. The company. The company’s band.

The new release, “Executive Power Supreme,” is an eight-song endeavor equipped with glorious photos of the executives in their power suits. The record’s cover art is as hyper-motivating as the furious rock they play — bold, angular shots of high-rise buildings in Tempe. Photos that would make a solid addition to the office of any slimy, ripped-ab attorney’s office or maybe in a knee replacement rehabilitation center’s waiting room.
Continuing to present evidence, this record shows how setting yourself up for success works. It outshines the previous one, says this judge. Let’s call a listen to the new record an official Bright Sunshine seminar, and some of the highlights on the bulleted list include J. Brown’s guitar snarl on the intro of “Year End,” a guitar, by the way, that he’s been rocking since 1986. Another is the bass playing reminiscent of Wisconsin’s noise rockers Killdozer and middle-management mocking vocals of Chris Burns on “Breadsticks.” And Eric Guthrie’s powerful drumming shines on, well, everything. The bottom line is that Bright Sunshine’s “Executive Power Supreme” delivers. The results are driving noise punk gems worthy of a gold watch. It just works, and after all, not working hard is a fireable offense.

Bright Sunshine’s album release party is Saturday, June 28, at Rips Bar, 3045 N. 16th St. The night includes prizes, giveaways and high-performance seminars by bands Sorrower, Via Vengeance and Garnak. Admission is free.