Sun Atoms on Sonic Exploration, Collaboration & Modest Mouse: An Interview
Few acts can bend light, space, and sound quite like Portland’s premier psych-gaze architects, Sun Atoms. Fresh off sharing stages with icons like The Flaming Lips and Yo La Tengo, the six-piece powerhouse has just landed a coveted summer tour supporting indie-rock royalty Modest Mouse. To celebrate the run, the band has gifted fans a dual-sided hallucinatory trip: the “Narco Polo Remixes”. Released via Little Cloud Records, the release features two massive, heavy-grooving reworks of their original collaboration with Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock, courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Peter G. Holmström (The Dandy Warhols) and the band’s own sub-bass-obsessed June Kang.
It is a fittingly collaborative move for a group whose pedigree reads like a history book of West Coast psychedelia and post-punk. Boasting members from The Dandy Warhols, The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine, and LoveBomb Go-Go, Sun Atoms treats their music as a living, breathing canvas. From their Stephen Street-mixed debut “Let There Be Light” to the critical triumph of 2025’s “Everything Forever”, they have mastered the art of building cinematic, immersive soundscapes that blur the line between a rock concert and a seance. Ahead of their summer run with Modest Mouse and the release of their highly anticipated new record “An Eraser And A Maze”, we sat down with the band to talk about cutting up Isaac Brock’s vocals, the thrill of the remix, and the alchemy of their hypnotic live show.
Congratulations on the release of Narco Polo Remixes! What inspired you to revisit the original track, and how do these new versions expand on the song’s original vision?
Mars (Sun Atoms): Hello and greetings from the Sun Atoms family! My name is Mars. I’m the horn player in Sun Atoms, and I’ll be fielding some of these questions on behalf of the band. Due to the nature of having six very busy musicians poured into one suit of clothes, we have not yet had the opportunity to work up a live version of “Narco Polo.” Because of our collaboration with Isaac Brock, that tune has been burning a hole in our collective consciousness. As you can imagine, we have been anticipating getting some of our new, but never-before-performed, tunes up to speed, especially with the third album and all of its new songs looming on the horizon. However, as arrangements were finalized for the series of shows we’re now doing with Modest Mouse, a sense of unfinished business and new opportunity developed. A natural extension of this was to revisit “Narco Polo” and develop ancillary pathways for its sonic componentry. The expansiveness of the original tune, with its intertwining storylines and ominous funk underpinnings, easily lends itself to multiple interpretations.
Collaborating with Isaac Brock was already a milestone. What was it like working with him, and what unique creative energy did he bring to “Narco Polo”?
Mars (Sun Atoms): Working with Isaac Brock has been a joy. He is the juicy cherry on top of the deluxe ice cream sundae. To give you a little background, Isaac had a big Portland-style house just a few blocks from the two Southeast Portland neighborhoods where Peter and I live. Peter used to jam with Isaac and company over at that house—you could hear the music from Colonel Summers Park. There was a deep-running Portland vibe at work, with currents from multiple projects like Pete International Airport and Modest Mouse cross-pollinating. Sooner or later, you end up playing on someone’s album, and then they play on yours. Isaac brought some powerful and chaotic vocal energy to that tune of ours. Last year we played the Psychic Salamander Festival with Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, The Flaming Lips, etc. You only need to spend a few minutes backstage or in the dressing rooms to understand that there is a gentle and open mindset flowing down from above. Isaac Brock inspires those working under him. There is a definite sense of support and kindness felt within the crew and surrounding the Modest Mouse family.
Peter G. Holmström’s remix takes the song in a completely different direction. What made him the perfect choice to reinterpret the track, and were you surprised by where he took it? June Kang also delivers a fresh perspective on the song. How do the two remixes complement each other while offering completely different listening experiences?
Mars (Sun Atoms): Sun Atoms has the ability to dissolve into small pods and morph, amoeba-like, back into a larger jellyfish. One of the pods is June and Peter. Those two handle much of the programming, track syncing, and editing. June was gathering bits and pieces for his remix, and in the process of Peter helping him, they realized they had a framework for a second remix, which Peter helmed and took in a different direction. One was paired with a new video remix by our guru of visuals, Brady Tucson, who is truly an integral puzzle piece and Sun Atoms member behind the scenes. He provides the live visuals, designs and edits our videos, and churns out the colorful posters that have come to be associated with Sun Atoms. He is also a very talented singer-songwriter and musician in his own right. June was inspired to slow things down a bit and drink from the industrial Kool-Aid stylistically, whereas Peter chose a more melodic approach.
Your music blends elements of psychedelic rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronic textures. How has your sound continued to evolve since Sun Atoms first came together?
Mars (Sun Atoms): Few projects have as many chefs stirring the soup. The rare ingredient here is the spirit of cooperation. A standing joke within the Sun Atoms family is, “I wonder what June has done to his rig and samples since last week.” He has reconfigured his setup so many times that I can’t remember what his original rig was! An insatiable curiosity drives much of the band. I am greatly enamored of many unusual and rare horns and the exotic textures and timbres they bring. We are limited only by how much we can fit into our Sprinter and reasonably expect to be able to set up in time to play. Everyone has a backlog of ideas, and we could probably kick out a triple album, except that nobody has the time to mix all of that. I believe that only once we are afforded the ability to play some longer sets will we be able to truly explore the boundaries of our imaginations. In fact, there are many theatrical components that we have in mind but lack the time at present to bring to fruition—a whole other untouched realm!
Joining Modest Mouse on select West Coast tour dates is an exciting opportunity. What are you most looking forward to about sharing the stage with such an influential band?
Mars (Sun Atoms): We played with Modest Mouse before the Psychic Salamander Festival. A few years back, we were part of the support for a show at the Showbox in Seattle. Isaac and company were extremely supportive and complimentary toward us, so we were already looking forward to hanging out backstage and watching them from the side. An incredible aspect of this arrangement is that Modest Mouse’s monitoring and mixing team has handled our sound for these first two shows. They are extremely professional and capable and have instantly elevated our material to a higher level. The Modest Mouse audience has also been fantastically supportive of a band most of them had never seen or heard before. I’ve had the opportunity to spend a little time after our set at our merchandise booth, run by the capable Maria Adams. Modest Mouse fans come up to us with questions and accolades, and I should note that we have broken our sales records for merchandise on both of these first two tour dates! It has been fantastic to hang out backstage with the members of Modest Mouse. They are very approachable and walk right up to us, letting us know that they’re into our sound. Each of them is utterly professional and capable. Their veteran players are past members of bands like Man Man and Califone, to name a few. Isaac and company have been doing this quite a while, and it is very inspirational to see them attack their set with such high energy. The audience is up on its feet, dancing in the auditorium rows. We appreciate all of this and look forward to more of it. The venues are gorgeous, and all the dates are sold out!
Your live performances are known for creating immersive sonic experiences. How do you translate the layered production of your recordings into an unforgettable live show?
Mars (Sun Atoms): We regard our recorded material as the starting point for the live show. With Peter, Eric, and June all locked in via MIDI, we could reproduce our songs with a fair degree of accuracy, but it is preferable to us to create live versions that live and breathe instead of relying on static playback. I remember Peter telling me that with The Dandy Warhols, there is the record version and there is the live version of most tunes. The audience can always listen to the record if they want the exact version, but live we bend the rules. It is also sometimes necessary to alter material to fit into a given timeframe or blend into the beginning of another song. Brady’s projections help create that visual story, but I think this is an area that is wide open for exploration.
Psychedelic music has always embraced experimentation. When you’re writing and recording, how do you know when you’ve pushed a song far enough creatively without losing its emotional core?
Mars (Sun Atoms): In rehearsal and the recording studio, we are not afraid to experiment, but we maintain recordings of many of our ideas from their most basic origins. We can always go back and evaluate whether perhaps we should have kept this or that part. The songs have six parents, after all. Things are run through a filter gauntlet.
You’ve hinted that you’re returning to the studio for a new full-length album later this year. Can fans expect the next record to continue exploring electronic influences, or are there new sonic territories you’re excited to visit?
Mars (Sun Atoms): The most difficult part of our third album will be selecting which tunes to focus on, as we currently have twice as many as we can put on vinyl. Without giving too much away, I would say that we have continued to dip our toes into a river of electronic rhythm, ethnic harmony, and outright emulation of the ’60s Wall of Sound with guitars and horns.
The Pacific Northwest has a rich musical history. How has Portland’s creative community influenced Sun Atoms and shaped the band’s artistic identity?
Mars (Sun Atoms): As previously noted, we are located near and interact with other Portland luminaries, ranging from intergalactic street marching bands to the electric spaghetti-western stylings of Federale. Our drummer, Eric, has played with and provided studio drumming for many Portland bands. He’s one of three band members who have performed with Rayon. Jason brings all of his experience from The Upsidedown and Mother Mariposa. There are juicy little chunks hacked off from many of these Portland entities, and we are certainly very proud to be part of the Portland music scene.
As listeners discover Narco Polo Remixes and catch you on tour this summer, what do you hope they take away from this new chapter in the band’s journey?
Mars (Sun Atoms): I think most members of Sun Atoms agree—it feels like this group is only a year and a half old, though in actuality we are approaching five years. We are a Zen unit that can be apart from each other for more than a month, yet can coalesce into performance mode with a single rehearsal. There are enough opportunities and requests for Sun Atoms to play locally multiple times per month, yet we can’t do that for fear of saturation. We hope, of course, that the new releases and the opportunity to play with Modest Mouse again will create multiple points of exposure for our unique material to reach new audiences.
Featured Media
‘Narco Polo (NRC RMX)’ Video
Stream the Album on Spotify
Original ‘Narco Polo’ Video
Interview conducted for The Mic Mag / KJAG. All rights and credits to Sun Atoms and respective parties.