Album Notes

"And even as the album highlights Sunshone Still’s dusky folk rock, it expands the band’s sonic palette without reservation." - PASTE MAGAZINE
"...harrowing, heartbreaking fare, but rendered beautifully..." - SHUFFLE MAGAZINE
"Misfortunes, wrote Ovid, often sharpen the genius. And ThewaytheworldDies is easily Sunshone Still’s finest record to date." - FREE TIMES
"...Calexico’s cinematic twang, Sparklehorse’s rich textures, Howe Gelb’s off-kilter waltzes, Sebadoh’s lo-fi grit, and Mark Kozelek’s whispery laments traipse through the album, but Smith is the master of his influences..." - CHARLOTTE VIEWPOINT


ThewaytheworldDies, the third release from Sunshone Still, chronologically recounts pivotal events and people before and after a family tragedy. From new love (“Someone to Call Home”) to the final desperate act revealed in the Cormac-McCarthy-tinged title track. The album then turns to the after effects of loss in songs like “Old Snakes” and “Boy Superman”. In a hopeful conclusion, the storyteller let’s go in “Can’t Hold On to a Ghost” and makes a promise to a newborn son in “Was & Will Be” (a duet with Danielle Howle).

Although all of the songs are written and sung by Chris Smith, a Columbia, SC-based songwriter, the performance and delivery is an ensemble affair with the efforts of: Smith (vocal/guitars/banjo/organ), Jason Hausman (multi-instrumentalist), Rodney Lanier (multi-instrumentalist), Flavio Mangione (bass), and Stowe Barber (drums). Guests on the album include the work of: Danielle Howle (background vocals), Chris Garges (C3 Organ, hand percussion), Dre' Rock (rap), and Matt Postle (trumpet).