Song of the Week: ‘Sheep City’

I try pretty hard not to repeat artists for “Song of the Week,” at least not very often. So, when I saw San Diego garage punks extraordinaire The Sess was playing a show on Friday I did a quick search to see just how many times I’ve included the band on the weekly segment. It turns out I never have. 

That’s absolutely shocking to me, because The Sess is one of my all-time favorite local bands. The garagey punk group was one of the brightest stars of San Diego’s mid-aughts blog-era fueled musical resurgence that thrust bands like Wavves and The Soft Pack into the musical spotlight. That’s why the band’s breakup – just four years and one album in – was all the more devastating. 

In some ways, The Sess’s breakup was good for San Diego’s scene. The members splintered into a whole slew of awesome bands, from the synthy Ale Mania to the mutant punk of Beaters to the frantic garage of Northern Tigers to even the crunchy surf punk of Shiva Trash. 

Even given that bounty, I still think about what could have been had the band kept it together. The Sess is just one of those groups that inspires that pining. Luckily for the diehards, though, members of the band reunited in 2023 to put out their first EP since breaking up a decade and a half ago.  

The Sess, “Sheep City”: One of the things that really set The Sess apart from other bands was just how much is going on in the band’s songs. “Sheep City,” is a prime example of that. The Sess pile on the grit, throw in booming drums, a perfectly busy bassline, dueling guitars, touches of organ and a host of hooky vocals to create a song that’s both dynamic and propulsive. It’s a rare feat. 

Like what you hear? Check out The Sess alongside the excellent Heavy Hawaii at Soda Bar on Friday, June 27. Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.