TRACK AND VIDEO: Children of the State – Big Sur


Children of the State

Doncaster and Bolsover indie rock outfit Children of the State have released their brand new single, ‘Big Sur’, produced by The Coral’s Ian Skelly and engineered by Chris Taylor at Liverpool’s iconic Parr Street Studios. 

You can stream the track here.

Big Sur Cover

It’s a gorgeously, sun-drenched, escapist gem designed to take our thoughts off lockdown and instead transport us to the rugged Californian coast where rocky cliffs plunge into the Pacific Ocean and daytime mist rolls in with little or no notice. The top of our Ford Mustang is down, the warm coastal breeze is blowing through our hair as we drive down Highway 1, heading across Bixby Creek Bridge, destined for Santa Monica, listening to Springsteen and the Beach Boys. Life is damned good.

You can hear the influence of Ian Skelly on the sound of the track, all vintage rock grooves, distorted organ, doo-wop inspired vocals and piercing fuzz guitar solo and just enough reverb to create that late 60s vibe. Throw in some influence from Arctic Monkeys, Richard Hawley and High Hazels and Children of the State’s own stylings, and you have a totally delightful tune that just begs for repeated listens. Speaking about the track, the band explains:

“Big Sur was born out of a lot of grey days on an industrial estate in Doncaster wanting to be at the beach. We were listening to a lot of Dick Dale and Beach Boys at the time and wanted to capture that 60s surf sound but bring it into 2020, but struggled to capture the vibe in Sheffield. We figured we’d get closer to the coast, so got in touch with Ian Skelly from The Coral, and spent a few days there creating it.”

To coincide with the release, the band have also unveiled the track’s video, shot and directed by Sam Crowston (The Blinders).

Children of the Stare are John McCullagh, Nathan Keeble, Corey Clifton, Conor O’Reilly and Harry Eland.

They have a number of live dates scheduled for this year although do check these given the current situation.

11/07/20 – Askern Music Festival, Doncaster
31/07/20 – Tramlines Festival Main Stage, Sheffield
12/09/20 – Circafest, Liverpool w/ Circa Waves + Red Rum Club
27/09/20 – YANA Festival, Manchester
26/09/20 – Delicious Clam, Sheffield w/ Julia Bardo

For more information:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Spotify

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