When singer and songwriter
Carmen Perry formed the band
SPORTS as a student at Kenyon College in 2012, she had no intention of becoming a touring musician. Self-recording material under the solo alias
Addie Pray at the time, she formed the band in order to flesh out and invigorate her songs, recording debut album
Sunchokes at their college radio station in 2014 with the goal of having a time capsule of the work, something she could share with friends. It quickly led to a record deal with Father/Daughter Records and further albums (and a name change to the more distinctive
Remember Sports in 2018). It's easy to hear what caught the ear of the label and early fans when opener "Tiny Planets" comes crashing through the speakers with a raw, churning punk sensibility paired with
Perry's memorably snarling, candid vocals. Organizing the chaos behind an articulate, conversational vocal style, she ultimately loses her composure by the song's chorus, which tries to convince a potential partner to give their relationship a chance. Most of the rest of
Sunchokes' brief 20-minute playing time continues in kind, with harmonic chord progressions, melodic guitar riffs, clattering uptempo drums, and relationship anxiety piled on tracks with titles like "You're So Sorry" and "I Liked You Best." The album only takes a breather a couple times: once, midway through, on "Where Are You," a still bouncy but less urgent entry, and on the final track "Sunchokes." Far from a ballad but more reflective and with a greater focus on melodic guitar lines, it seems to lead the band into a more composed if still confused adulthood.