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An indie rock band from Baltimore, Maryland,
Sonna were founded in 1998 by guitarist/vocalist Chris Mackie, drummer/guitarist Jim Redd, and bassist Paul Petersan. Guitarist Jeremy DeVine, who established the Temporary Residence label in 1996, joined soon after the group's formation. Since much of
Sonna's material was instrumental, they were often categorized as post-rock, but they always maintained a melodic sensibility as well as a penchant for experimentation and subtly complex arrangements.
Sonna made their debut in 1999 with three-song EP These Windows Are Pistons, as well as a split 7" single with the band
Paul Newman, in which both groups performed takes on a song titled "Way to Breathe No Breath." In 2000,
Sonna (now including bassist Drew Nelson in place of Petersan, who relocated to Texas) contributed The Eventual Bow to Temporary Residence's EP series Travels in Constants. The group also released the 7" single
Kept Luminesce/Mirameko on Static Caravan.
Sonna recorded their debut full-length,
We Sing Loud Sing Soft Tonight, with
Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio Studios. The album was released in 2001 to critical acclaim.
In 2002, Temporary Residence reissued
Sonna's out of print Static Caravan 7" on CD, and the EP Make Shift Carousel also appeared. The latter was a collaboration with electronic artists
Sybarite and
Lilienthal;
Sonna recorded raw acoustic tracks that were then remixed and added to by the others. They toured constantly during this period, sharing the stage with artists such as
Bonnie "Prince" Billy,
Tarentel (for whom drummer Redd also played), and
Explosions in the Sky. Meanwhile, DeVine joined the English band
Fridge as their touring guitarist. In early 2003,
Sonna released the
Albini-recorded
Smile and the World Smiles with You. By this time, half of the band had relocated away from Baltimore -- DeVine to Portland and
Reid to San Francisco -- and
Sonna became inactive. All of the group's non-album recordings (with the exception of Make Shift Carousel) were compiled on the 2016 double-LP
Keep It Together. ~ Jason Nickey & Paul Simpson