Sun June Share Their Cinematic, Tom Petty-Inspired Single ‘Mixed Bag’

Last month, Sun June announced Bad Dream Jaguar, their follow-up to 2022’s sprawling Somewhere. The group shared the dreamy lead single “Get Enough,” as well as “Easy Violence” and “John Prine.” Now they’re back with another taste of the highly anticipated record.

“Mixed Bag” is an endearing, cinematic ballad inspired by Tom Petty. Read the band’s statement about it:

“In some ways this song allowed us to reflect and become more aware of how dumb our arguments are. ‘You were searching for a reason to be mad,’ and ‘I know every single fight we’ve ever had,’ are accusations and boasts that made us laugh. Each chorus expands on the last, as we acknowledge the ways we’re repeating the past but try to keep score regardless.

We recorded Mixed Bag both in Texas and North Carolina — Dan Duszynski, Alli Rogers, Danny Reisch, Max Lorenson, and Chad Doriocourt all had a hand in trying to shape this into a dusty Petty-esque song. The song is about struggling to stay hopeful about the future, but we hope the bop outweighs the sadness.

For the video, we asked Vanessa Pla to help capture some of the rural outskirts of Austin on Super 8 film. We took inspiration from some old 1940s PSAs and Texas corporate films. She and her crew found themselves in the middle of cow pastures off of brand new highways, face to face with some friendly longhorns.”

Listen to “Mixed Bag” above.

Bad Dream Jaguar is out 10/20 via Run For Cover. Find more information here.