Moosic: First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Tom Martin, vocals and guitar: The name Sunday Junkie originated from the lyrics to the song “Emergencies” on our upcoming full length release. Sorry for the TL;DR answer, but the idea came from “holier than thou,” hypocritical Christians who treat people with anything but kindness, but view themselves as absolved of any wrongdoing as long as they ask for forgiveness from anyone other than who they mistreated. Being gay and being treated like shit by this specific group of people definitely left me with a chip on my shoulder when it comes to any religious affiliation, but I don’t think witnessing this phenomenon is exclusive to me.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Martin: I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13. I took lessons for maybe a year, didn’t have the patience to continue and went off on my own journey picking up techniques and influences after that. I’ve been in a bunch of bands during that time, but this is my first experience having vocals out front so it’s definitely uncharted territory for me.
How would you describe your sound?
Martin: A weird lovechild of ‘90s-inspired alt-rock riffs, but with the emotional vulnerability and intensity of early emo.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Martin: I’m hugely influenced by a weird combination of ‘90s alt-rock (Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, REM, etc.) and also earlier emo/post rock (Appleseed Cast, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Mineral, etc.).
As far as specific guitarists, probably Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Cody Bonnette of As Cities Burn.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Martin: Placebo’s “Nancy Boy.”
What’s your source for hearing new music?
Martin: predominantly recommendations from friends, playing/going to local shows
Who is your dream producer?
Martin: I’d love to work with Butch Vig.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Martin: Bradford Cox of Deerhunter seems like he’d be a lot of fun to write with and wouldn’t be afraid to experiment and try wild shit.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
It just started from being 13 and seeing someone you admired playing guitar and thinking “that’s so cool I want to do that too.” From there it evolved into feeling like a pure and powerful outlet for however I was feeling, feeling like it was something I could be good at, something that came with a community that made me feel welcome, etc. Without sounding too full of shit, making music feels like the most effortless, but also the most powerful thing I participate in and I honestly don’t know how to exist without it at this point.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Martin: It all typically comes together pretty quickly in terms of instrumentation and arrangement. I have an idea, track it, and spend a few hours building on that until I have something to show to Shawn so he can take my guitarist driven midi drums and turn it into something that actually sounds good. I’ll usually sit with the finished demo and come up with the lyrics and melody at the same time, then track the vocals once I have most of that piece figured out. I like that we have a relatively quick process of capturing the inspiration and recording it before we have too much time to second guess ourselves to death and never release anything.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Martin: social media and streaming sites are the best way to keep in touch with us and listen to what we’re releasing. We’re always posting snippets of new and unreleased stuff on IG because we’re impatient and excited to show what we’re working on.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunday.junkie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sundayjunkieband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4dZ4KDn49p1DgSzvQ3IK7p?si=hOcW1EjnQ0mOm2iFa6Ibng&nd=1&dlsi=96b64ed85c714733
What’s next for you?
Martin: releasing more singles up until the eventual release of our LP around early summer (tentatively). We don’t have a live presence yet, but that’s also definitely on the docket for the future. At the end of the day though, we have a backlog of dozens of songs so we’re just excited to keep cranking out music for folks to listen to and hopefully enjoy.
Bio:
Sunday Junkie is a Worcester-based alternative rock duo composed of multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, and vocalist Tom Martin and drummer and percussionist Shawn Pelkey. The band released a pair of debut singles in Fall 2024 (October’s “Vultures” and November’s “Haunted Head”), with If It’s Too Loud praising its ability to present “a sound that is truly all of their own out of some of our favorite musical elements,” and Rock And Roll Fables citing “Martin’s warm bass lines interwoven with his riffs and Pelkey’s drum lines in a perfect sync that’s still a labyrinth-like aural odyssey.” A new single called “Holy, Holy” drops in February 2025, with more new music on the way, leading to Sunday Junkie’s debut album arriving sometime later this year.
