The Successful Failures - Sun Studio Session [EP]
“Mick Chorba and his Chesterfield, NJ quartet have been doing fine recording locally, even drawing Guided By Voices’ guru Travis Harrison to mix. But little Sun Studio is still an ongoing dream—heck, I got chills just gawking around the Memphis Union St. ex-garage taking the tourist tour years ago, feeling its hallowed dent on my record collection. It fits these rockers too, as if a poltergeist Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley, or Sam Phillips and Jack Clement themselves were producing. Naturally, in that super-live room (still!; clap your hands, you’ll see), SFs’ three originals plumb their organic backbeat and lunch pail late-Replacements/Wilco riff boppers like they’ve dealt for 19 years in fine style, Chorba’s primo every-Joe slice-of-life storytelling intact. Amazingly, though, it’s the classic country cover, of Lefty Frizzell’s Marijohn Wilkin/Danny Dill 1959 country #6 staple “Long Black Veil” that’s the huge highlight—way more The Band’s (think “It Makes No Difference”) and Mike Ness’s versions than Johnny or Roseanne Cash. Ooby Dooby! It’s great!” – Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover, Nov. 2025
The Successful Failures have announced details of their eagerly awaited new EP Sun Studio Session, which is set to arrive on November 14th.
The new EP–follow-up to the band’s 11th full length album, 2024’s Enemy Sublime–was recorded in Memphis, TN at legendary Sun Studio while the band was on tour earlier this year. The EP features 4 new songs mixed by Travis Harrison (Guided By Voices/Built to Spill) and mastered specifically for vinyl by Jeff Powell (Bob Dylan/Afghan Whigs/Lucinda Williams) at Sam Phillips Recording Service.
The prolific NJ-based indie-rock/roots band scheduled a special session at the iconic studio to record new material true to Sam Phillips‘ original vision of “perfect imperfection”, in other words live music that captures a feeling, a mood. The EP here is the result of that session.
While Sun is best known as the birthplace of rock and roll, launching the careers of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash and others, more recently artists such as MJ Lenderman, Margo Price, and Robert Randolph have recorded there to capture the authentic sound of the legendary space.
The 4-song EP is now available via all streaming services as well as on compact disc and vinyl, official release date 11/14/25.