Sun Raven talks us through the instinct-driven process behind his latest record
Fresh off the release of Anam Cara, Sun Raven is still in that post-drop headspace – equal parts reflection and forward motion.
The Bendigo-based project has always sat slightly outside the lines, but this latest record leans further into the blur, pulling threads from metal, jazz, ambient and experimental rock into something that feels more instinctive than structured.
What started as a full band has slowly become a one-person vision, shaped by a refusal to compromise on sound or direction. On Anam Cara, that approach hits a new emotional peak – an instrumental record that still manages to feel personal, cinematic, and occasionally unsteady in the best way.
We caught up with Sun Raven to talk coffee, creative control, odd time signatures, and why this album might just soundtrack a sci-fi romance on another planet.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
SUN RAVEN: Went to a local cafe for coffee and cake. Worked on some lyrics for a song that I’m writing for my other band Arcadian Code.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
SUN RAVEN: I grew up in Melbourne but have been living in Bendigo, Victoria for years. I like that it has a country and city vibe in the one place.
HAPPY: For those new to Sun Raven, how would you describe the soundscape you’ve built over the years?
SUN RAVEN: It started as a band with a vocalist but I thought the music sounded better as instrumentals. I couldn’t find musicians at the time that shared my creative vision, so I decided to do it all myself. It started off based more in Metal and Rock but has evolved to include other styles like Alternative, Jazz and Ambient.
HAPPY: Anam Cara is being called your most experimental release yet. What made you decide to push further into genre-blurring territory this time?
SUN RAVEN: I’m always searching for innovative ideas and with Sun Raven I like to push the boundaries of what can be done with fusing different styles. I was also listening to lots of experimental music at the time such as John Coltrane on the Jazz side and The Mars Volta on the Rock side of things.
HAPPY: How does this album differ from your previous full-length releases, both emotionally and sonically?
I think it’s the most emotional and has the most feeling. It’s difficult to convey feeling sometimes without lyrics but I think I was able to achieve that. It’s also less Metal and more experimental Rock.
HAPPY: What was the most challenging track on Anam Cara to finish, and why?
SUN RAVEN: ‘Eiocha.’ It has odd time signatures and it was challenging to get the vibe how I wanted it. It’s a mix of mellow rock and jazz with some experimental guitar parts, which can be challenging to get everything to blend well.
HAPPY: If Anam Cara were a film score, what kind of film would it be for?
SUN RAVEN: Sci-fi romance set on another planet.
HAPPY: What’s a non-musical influence (art, nature, literature, etc.) that shaped Anam Cara?
SUN RAVEN: I spend lots of time walking in nature and I like hearing different bird whistles and imitating it back to them. Birds have lots of interesting rhythmic and melodic sounds.
Celtic mythology influenced some of the theme’s of the songs too.
HAPPY: If you could have any listener take away just one thing from Anam Cara, what would it be?
SUN RAVEN: I just hope they enjoy listening to it and get inspired by it to create something artistic themselves.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
SUN RAVEN: Creating music and performing music with other people. And chocolate.
