B-Side Guys

The one-man band has always occupied precarious territory between admirable ambition and self-indulgent isolation. For every Todd Rundgren or Prince who masters the form, countless others collapse under the weight of their own creative control. Canadian multi-instrumentalist Ben Sinclair navigates these treacherous waters with remarkable skill on “Sunrise Sunset,” a debut album that justifies its solitary creation through sheer musical competence and conceptual clarity.

Released June 19th, this nine-track collection spans 34 minutes of what Sinclair describes as “modern songs using the forgotten songwriting secrets of the 60s and 70s.” Originally a drummer inspired by Phil Collins, Marvin Gaye, and Dennis Wilson—”drummers turned songwriters”—Sinclair has expanded his instrumental palette to include everything heard across these tracks, handling writing, performance, production, and mixing duties with only one exception: guest guitarist contributions on lead single “Lauren.”

The album functions as semi-concept piece tracking “shifting moods and emotions throughout a single day,” beginning with bright optimism and concluding with contemplative resolution. This temporal framework provides perfect structure for Sinclair’s exploration of relationship dynamics, personal growth, and emotional evolution—themes that require the kind of sustained attention his one-man approach allows.

Opening track “Sunrise” establishes both the album’s literal timeline and Sinclair’s distinctive production philosophy. His rejection of “heavy editing/autotune or other modern music production tricks” creates warmth often absent from contemporary recordings. The song’s domestic morning scene—”Bacon and eggs, a slice of toast, a glass of OJ and of course, your ghost / Is still around haunting the place, until the light drives you away”—transforms simple routine into haunting meditation on memory’s persistence.

The track’s gentle awakening builds from intimate confession toward fuller arrangement, with Sinclair’s multi-instrumental abilities immediately proving impressive rather than merely adequate. When he sings “Slowly open up your eyes, Hello morning, Hello Sunrise,” the music itself mirrors this emergence from sleep through gradually expanding instrumentation that never feels calculated or artificial.

“Turning It Around” introduces the album’s more dynamic elements through its exploration of procrastination and determination. The lyrics “Well I stayed up all night thinking about you / There’s no way I’d be getting to sleep” capture universal experience of romantic obsession, while the driving rhythm section demonstrates Sinclair’s drumming background. His vocal delivery of “It’s gonna happen make a change / Go get it started no delay” carries conviction that the musical arrangement supports through increasingly urgent momentum.

Lead single “Lauren” represents the album’s emotional peak through its devastating narrative of long-distance relationship collapse. The song opens with touching intimacy—”Lauren, I’m phoning to say morning babe / I hope you have a pleasant day”—before revealing the strain of separation: “Lauren, even though I’m in a foreign land / I know that you will understand / That a man must make a living.” The guest guitarist contributions add textural variety that enhances the song’s emotional impact without disrupting Sinclair’s overall vision.

The track’s crushing conclusion—”I got in the door and turned the light on to an empty room / There wasn’t any sign of you / Lauren left without a warning”—gains power through Sinclair’s restrained delivery and sparse musical arrangement that creates genuine sense of abandonment. This sophisticated understanding of how musical dynamics can serve narrative content distinguishes the work throughout.

“Cross An Ocean” continues the relationship narrative through epic scope, its oceanic imagery providing perfect metaphor for commitment’s physical demands. Lines like “I’d swim for weeks I’d swim for months / I’d fight the storms and all harsh tides if I could be there at your side” transform romantic devotion into heroic quest, while Sinclair’s production creates literal sense of immersion through reverb and delay techniques.

The song’s progression from determination to exhaustion—”Can’t feel the earth, completely submerged in the clear blue ocean water / My body aches, it cries for a break, but never will I falter”—mirrors actual swimming experience while serving metaphorical purpose, proving Sinclair’s gift for grounding abstract emotions in concrete imagery.

“Long Overdue” marks the album’s midpoint transition through its examination of delayed action and accumulated regret. The opening confession—”It’s repeating on a loop in my head, I think about it all the time / There is something that I have to say / That’s been long overdue, I’m moving on from you”—establishes psychological territory the music explores through increasingly urgent arrangement.

Sinclair’s complete creative control allows subtle musical connections between tracks that create coherent emotional journey. When he sings “I packed all my bags, I’m hitting the road / And where I’ll end up, well nobody knows,” the musical momentum supports this narrative movement while maintaining thematic consistency.

The album’s latter half explores romantic aftermath through “Get You Back,” “Loved Out,” and “Fading Out of View.” “Loved Out” particularly showcases Sinclair’s storytelling through detailed scene-setting: “Drove to a dive bar on the edge of town / Met me a lady, who said she’s all loved out.” This character work creates vivid atmosphere while advancing the album’s emotional arc.

“Fading Out of View” provides transition toward resolution through its acceptance of ending: “It looks like this is it, it’s time for us to part / I’ll be an optimist, it’s not the end, it’s more of a restart.” The repeated phrase “fading out of view” creates musical as well as lyrical motif, with instrumentation literally fading to mirror the concept.

Closing track “Sunset” completes the temporal journey through contemplation of day’s end and uncertain future. Lines like “The day is done, the night begins / A setting sun, the stars fade in” provide perfect bookend to the morning imagery that opened the album, while “I’ll figure things out tomorrow” acknowledges that resolution doesn’t require absolute clarity.

Throughout these nine tracks, Sinclair proves that one-man band approach can enhance rather than limit artistic expression when executed with sufficient skill and vision. His multi-instrumental competence combined with rejection of modern production artifice creates human warmth that serves his detailed storytelling perfectly. The album establishes him as artist capable of justifying complete creative control through both technical ability and genuine artistic vision.