Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate’s influence on modern emo can’t be overstated. The band formed in 1992, with guitarist Dan Hoerner taking lead vocal duties alongside bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith. Vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Enigk later joined the group, setting the stage for the 1994 emo touchstone Diary. Songs like the throttling post-hardcore anthem “Seven” and the brooding “In Circles” combined urgent dynamics with yearning vocals with rough-hewn melodic edge. The band broke up in 1995 after recording LP2, leaving room for Mendel and Goldsmith to join Foo Fighters and for Enigk to launch a solo career. Sunny Day Real Estate reunited two years later, releasing 1998’s moody and more stripped-back How It Feels to Be Something On and 2000’s The Rising Tide before breaking up again in 2001. In the ensuing years, Mendel continued to play with Foo Fighters and teamed up with Goldsmith and Enigk in the band The Fire Theft. However, Sunny Day Real Estate’s stature and influence rose considerably during the 2000s, as multiple third-wave indie-emo bands cited the band’s dynamics and songwriting as influences. That led to a 2009 reunion tour as well as a new song called “Lipton Witch” released in 2014. After another period of inactivity, Sunny Day Real Estate reunited once again in 2022.