Setting Sun, aka. prolific songwriter Gary Levitt, will release his latest record Fantasurreal this Summer. The fourth full-length from New York State's leading indie folk pioneer, Fantasurreal finds Setting Sun exploring new, more electronic territory than his previous full-lengths. And in preparation for the release, Setting Sun has announced their first single, the album's powerful "Driving."The recording of Fantasurreal was very much a cathartic moment for Setting Sun. Tired from a relentless tour schedule that encompassed much of 2008-2009, Levitt returned home to the quiet of his home in upstate New York. Over the course of six months, the record just flowed. "This was the easiest record I've ever made," says Levitt.
"It felt natural to come home to my studio and let these songs pour out while embracing the solitude that is so hard to find on tour. It was a big relief and a great way to ease back into my life." The end result was textured indie folk layered with driving percussion and swirling electronics, creating a record that exists somewhere between Beck's most insular moments and the giddy excitement of MGMT, simultaneously undercutting the vitality with raw, emotive vocals and lyrics that channel Bright Eyes or Elliott Smith. Driving pop songs like "Driving" share space with introspective indie folk tunes like "Don't Grow Up." Add in booming, four-on-the floor stomps like "Make You Feel" make Fantasurreal Levitt's most diverse work to date.
Born in Queens, Levitt has been playing music and writing songs ever since he picked up guitar in his family's one bedroom apartment. Studying film and music in college, Levitt's music has taken him around the world, living and performing in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London. Levitt's songs have appeared in a number of reality shows and independent films, and most recently, "Morning Song" from Children of the Wild was used in a commercial for The National Parks Foundation.
