SUNBURNT is fusing together the Southern Californian alternative and pop-punk traditions on their newest single “Hesitate.” Though the three-piece has spent time apart playing in a myriad of other bands over the last several years, the group has decided that they have more to say and are ready to showcase the less shiny aspects of adult life in their music.
“Hesitate” sounds like a song that would play over the older brother’s entrance in an early 2000s teen movie. That is one the highest compliments that I can give to a song. It is sonically reminiscent of the first 5 Seconds of Summer record, but a bit heavier… kind of like if 5SOS had let their pop-punk sound carry into adulthood rather than shedding it for pop. There is a warm quality to the track despite the anxiety-riddled lyrics. It would be a good track to play on full blast while driving with the windows down.
While the production is fueled by that angsty pop-punk sound, the lyrics dive much deeper. Pop punk often thrives on teen angst, but SUNBURNT is using that intense emotionality to reflect the struggles that follow you into adult life. The spiral between anxiety, vulnerability, and emotional honesty does not end when you become an adult. If anything, it intensifies. That curiosity and hunger for connection doesn’t go away, but it’s easier to hesitate as an adult when there’s more on the line. It’s clever what they’ve done: they’ve taken an old form and given it a meaning deeper than it originally had.
The song captures the frustration, isolation, and even the comedy of trying to emotionally connect with people in adult life.
