With a growing catalog, Sunny State prefers to keep things simple.

The reggae-fusion quartet of Chris Reed (vocals, ukulele, guitar, sax), Julian Perez (lead guitar), Freddie Vega (bass), and James Moreno (drums, percussion) is revisiting and reimagining past singles as acoustic versions—starting with “Solutions.”

“When we first did this song, it was our first single … and the band was split on their happiness of the song. Some said, ‘Oh, this doesn’t sound like the way we play it live,’ and I thought, ‘It does, but it also doesn’t,’” Reed said.

“It was also our first time working with [co-producer/engineer] Ryan Palma in the studio. We were getting to know each other and figuring out how things would sound in the studio.”

Originally released in 2019, “Solutions” captures the San Jose, California band’s vibrant sound and reiterates the importance of unity, gratitude, and freedom in today’s society.

Reed sings, “Your pure voice is on my mind / Through sleepless nights and red wine / We philosophize as we rhyme / Of what can be done in this precious time.”

“This song itself was unique because it was a crowdsourced-lyric song. I was asking people, ‘Give me words that you want to hear, and I’m gonna write a song about it,’ and I did,” he said.

“In the second verse, we talk about family, and the meaning of that over time evolves. The third verse is more unique to an individual woman and so forth.”

After sharing the original version of “Solutions,” Sunny State started building momentum and released four additional singles during the pandemic in 2020.

“As we were recording all these songs, we were in the studio one day and said, ‘We should do some acoustic stuff, too,’ because I’ve always loved broken-down songs. I wanted to bring the guys in to do something fun together,” Reed said.

“James came in and laid down the percussion and djembe. And then Julian recorded stuff at his studio and sent stuff in. We got to break it down and make it simpler, and we were looking at it and thinking, ‘It’s going to be more appropriate with the message and less complicated.’”

Unfortunately, the pandemic halted the band’s progress with finalizing the acoustic version of “Solutions” until recently.

“The song just sat like that, and then I had this newfound motivation to make sure that things are being put out into the world and not letting life bog us down,” Reed said.

“I took that track and recorded on top of it. I did the bassline and added some melodica, a couple of percussion things, and some organ. And for the scratch vocal, I said, ‘Just leave it—whatever.’”

What resulted is a refreshed, stripped-down version of “Solutions,” which features thoughtful ukulele, acoustic guitar, organ, and percussion. The acoustic version also reflects the current evolution of the song and the way Sunny State plays it live today.

Reed sings, “All about solutions / Human resolutions / Gotta, gotta appreciate / Live gratitude and love / Dancing with the drum / All this makes my heart beat.”

“We want things to sound good, and we want to sound our best, but I’m also a firm believer that it’s better to be bold than to be a perfectionist,” Reed said.

Aiming High and Beyond

Sunny State also embraces a similar mindset on the uplifting anthem, “Fly High,” which encourages youth to follow their dreams in life.

Surrounded by inspirational electric guitar, bass, synth, and drums, Reed sings, “You should never feel small / Your power reaches so tall / Be yourself and you’ll see / Endless possibilities.”

“A lot of my songs are in the inspirational mode … and most of them will start as a pep talk to myself because I’m having a down day or doubting things,” he said.

“This one was twofold: It was a little bit of that thinking process as I started writing it and then it immediately turned into a song for my daughters. I’m telling them, if you ever have an idea, turn it into reality and trust your instincts, your inspiration, and your passion.”

Unlike the acoustic approach featured on “Solutions,” the band opted for a grander sound on “Fly High.”

“I composed it on the ukulele, but the song has so many changes that it’s too dynamic to be acoustic. It doesn’t express its intended elevation if it’s just a voice and a ukulele,” Reed said.

“It was the second song we recorded … and as we were doing it, Julian came up with the idea for the intro. It was big and bold, and he was thinking about Rebelution and Tribal Seeds.”

Once a powerful intro was in place, Sunny State added extra emphasis on the drums to finalize the track’s larger-than-life feel.

“As we were working on it, Ryan [Palma] said, ‘I feel like we could do some different things percussion-wise,’ so then we did,” Reed said. “We ended up doing studio drums, making them live on the spot there, and changing things up to have major dynamics throughout the song.”

After reaching for the stars on “Fly High,” Sunny State boards the “Music Train” for a carefree adventure.

Accompanied by breezy saxophone, electric guitar, bass, and drums, Reed sings, “Say they built the tracks in Italy / Before there was a train that could make the journey / We ain’t got no locks, so forget your keys / Drop ‘em behind, you go on and leave / Follow the radical music we have brought straight to you.”

“‘Music Train’ was one of those where I played in [another] band back in the day … and it was a different arrangement. It had more minor chords in it, and it was a different song,” said Reed, who plays tenor sax alongside Ryan Palma’s baritone sax on the track.

“When I brought it to the band for simplicity’s sake, I took a song that had eight or nine chords in it and broke it down to a song with two chords. I took it down to the beach and pictured myself like a train going along the coast, stopping and picking people up, throwing the keys away, following the music, and jumping on board.”

Finally, Sunny State travels beyond the stratosphere to find eternal happiness and connection on “Galaxy of Love.”

Courageous slide guitar, bass, and drums propel Reed to the far reaches of the Milky Way as he sings, “Fixed the hyperdrive and I was off / Passing Saturn’s rings when I was tossed / Thrown off-course by the look in your eyes / Evading marauders, I was your pleasant surprise.”

“It’s one of those songs where I was sitting outside one day looking up at the moon. I often think when I’m outside playing in my backyard, especially in the evening when the kids are quiet and sleeping, and my wife is off doing her thing,” Reed said.

“There are ups and downs in relationships as we let ourselves be transcended by it. Things will break down sometimes, but ultimately you’re going to fight off marauders and get through it together. This little love ship is made for two and that’s where it was in my head.”

Reed realized his vision for “Galaxy of Love” with songwriter-musician Matt Gonzalez, aka Philthy Dronez. The longtime friends and former bandmates met for an impromptu jam but ended up recording the track together.

“He said, ‘Hey, do you want to record a song? What do you have going on?’ And I said, ‘I keep working on this song.’ At that point, it had been two years. I busted out the ukulele, and I played the song for him. He does cumbia music, and he said, ‘Let’s just have some fun with it,’” said Reed, who also plans to release a lyric video for the track.

“He threw down a cumbia beat, and initially we were going to mold the beat and put together a drum section, but he said, ‘Let’s just loop this and then we’ll add extra percussion.’ And then he laid down the bass.”

While Sunny State plans to record another track with Gonzalez soon, the band continues to collaborate with Palma on mixing and mastering each single.

“Ryan did some of the recording for ‘Solutions’ and ‘Fly High.’ ‘Solutions’ was partially recorded at Ryan’s Redwall Studio and then I recorded the rest at home. In general, I’m trying to keep a consistent sound and have Ryan do our mixing and mastering,” Reed said.

“I throw all the ideas out there to see what works and what doesn’t. Ryan has a methodical way of doing things, and he’s more tight-thinking than I am. He hears consistencies and inconsistencies more than I do and that’s what I appreciate because he’s such a wonderful musician.”

Looking Ahead

With a plethora of new material, Sunny State is releasing a different single every month. Some singles will be acoustic while others will have a larger studio sound.

“I would like to do more acoustic stuff and release things that way,” said Reed, whose next Sunny State single, “Grateful For,” comes out later this month.

“It’s very honest and sincere to who we are [as a band] and who I am individually. I love listening to acoustic music and one of my biggest inspirations is Ben Harper. I love soulful, broken-down music.”

When they’re not in the studio, Sunny State is getting ready for live shows, including a September 29 set at the SoFA Street Fair in San Jose, California.

“It’s free for the public, and they shut down the street. There’s something like 40 different-plus bands performing, and there are a lot of venue takeovers and outdoor stages with tons of food and vendors, artists, and artmakers,” Reed said.

“We’re doing a set there, and Miguel Machuca is coming to do live art. We’re working on what other fun stuff we can do. There might be a drum circle element added to our set to get everybody involved.”