We've partnered with critically-acclaimed dream rock band Sungaze to bring you an exclusive and very special tee to mark the release of new single 'Feel Better Tomorrow'!
We're super excited to announce this new collab. We've worked closely with the band to create this special edition Sungaze tee. Blending great design, by Jess and Rosie, with the high quality you’ve come to expect from us, Feel Better Tomorrow Tee is screen printed with long-lasting, eco-friendly inks and made for 100% soft jersey cotton. You’ll feel like an angel baby swaddled in a cocoon of cloud candy.
Exclusively available from TEN OF CLUBS, preorder your Feel Better Tomorrow Tee today!
We’ve been fans of Sungaze since first hearing the majestic ‘So Light’ back in June 2024. We had the pleasure of interviewing the band soon after for our alt rock blog, The Winchester. We’ve kept in touch ever since.
Sungaze is the Cincinnati-based dream rock project of husband and wife team Ian Hilvert and Ivory Snow. Their sound is dreamy, ethereal and hard to pigeonhole. Amongst the lush melodies and soaring guitar riffs, you’ll find punk, grunge, shoegaze and rock sensibilities aplenty.
New track ‘Feel Better Tomorrow’ creates a characteristically haunting Sungaze soundscape, with introspective lyrics that catalogue Ivory’s health journey following a hiking accident in 2017 that left her with persistent and often debilitating symptoms.
The track’s inspiring message, that nothing bad can stay, is juxtaposed with Ivory’s melancholic, sighing vocal delivery. Coupled with atmospheric production and Ian’s intricate guitar work, ‘Feel Better Tomorrow’ is another beautiful, vulnerable, emotional offering from Sungaze, and one that we were fortunate to be given early access to.
Join us as we chat with lead vocalist Ivory Snow about the new track, the new tee, and what it’s really like to work with TEN OF CLUBS. Was it a love-in or a tempestuous battleground replete with bruised egos, blood-spattered walls and creative differences. Read on to find out!
♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎
Hey! Great to catch up again, Ivory. We want to talk today about your new single and the very special tee we’ve created together. Let’s start with the song. Tell us what inspired it.
IVORY SNOW － ‘Feel Better Tomorrow’ was inspired by the health journey I've been on over the last seven years; more specifically, by the things I sometimes fear I've missed out on as a result of the unwanted detour.
This song was a long time coming. The way it finally ended up coming together feels more than a little like it was meant to be. Unwelcome or not, this journey has been a huge part of my life over the last chunk of years. Finally addressing it in this way feels very freeing.
Please tell us more about how you came to write it?
Ian and I were walking around our neighbourhood, going over our to-do list for the following day, when we planned to go to our studio and work on new material. The conversation eventually shifted to the topic of promotion. We’ve often bemoaned the struggle that is balancing the time and effort needed to put ourselves ‘out there’ with the need for income and the amount of time working a day job requires.
On this particular day, I realised just how angry I was about the hand I’d been dealt. I spent the majority of my 20s in various states of un-wellness, ranging from months spent bedridden and countless trips to the ER, to large swaths of time where on the outside everything looked normal but inside I was a dissociated, anxiety-ridden mess, struggling just to make it through the day.
I felt like my chance at realising my dreams had been taken from me. It was hard not to blame my body. If I had been a normal, healthy 20-something, I know my life would look a lot different. During that conversation I realised the time was approaching where I would need to actually confront all of these feelings in some way. I could feel a song would be coming.
Did the song take long to materialise?
Not at all. Ian went to the studio the next day. I stayed home, not feeling well. About midway through the afternoon, I got an email from him containing an mp3 titled ‘Feel Better Tomorrow’. It was an instrumental track based on a riff he'd been playing around the apartment for a few days prior.
I was immediately sucked in. I knew this was the song. We ended up restructuring it a couple times before landing on what it is today. It was definitely a labour of love. There were times where I think we both wanted to give up on the track, but we pushed through and trusted the process.
‘Feel Better Tomorrow’ didn’t turn out the way we initially planned, but it came out the way I think it was meant to be. In a way, it ended up mirroring my experience with chronic illness better than I could have planned. It may be my favourite song yet.
How are you feeling now it’s finally about to drop?
Nervous, but excited! A lot of our songs are quite personal, but this one has an extra layer of vulnerability for me. I’ve really done my best to keep this aspect of my life hidden, for various reasons that are too long to get into here, so being transparent about it now feels a little scary. I’m excited to no longer feel like I’m keeping a secret.
I’m really hoping to reach people who are going through similar experiences. Mine isn’t really a rare story. I think the more open each person is about their experience, the better chance we have at finding cures and solutions, and ultimately giving people who are suffering from chronic illness a higher quality of life.
More power to you. Now to the tee. Tell us, like we don’t already know, how did this collab came about?
Ian is a big tee collector. After the interview we did with you last summer, you were kind enough to send us a couple of tees from your main collection. We were both blown away by the quality and attention to detail.
We began wondering if you would be interested in working with us on a fun, limited edition release. Lucky for us, you were.
After you were so glowing in your praise, how could we refuse! Apart from being overwhelmed by the exquisite beauty and premium quality of the tees we sent you, why did you want to do this tee project?
There are a few reasons. First, we love the TEN OF CLUBS vibe and everyone we’ve met on the team. We had a feeling working with you would be a good experience.
Second, we have a lot of international fans who I always feel sorry for when they have to pay crazy shipping fees when buying merch from us. We were very happy at the prospect of doing a collab with a business based in the UK, knowing those fans would maybe get to have a better shopping and shipping experience than we're able to provide.
And third, it just felt right. When ya know, ya know. Ya know?
We know. We really enjoyed that first design call we had with you and Ian, getting to know you, your likes and dislikes, and hearing the story behind the song. How was it from your side?
Working with TEN OF CLUBS has been a dream! Every step of the collaboration has been seamless and easy. And we’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know Matt, Jess, Rosie, and Skev a little bit more through the process. You’re the best people.
Everyone buy their clothing and support TEN OF CLUBS!
Thank you. We appreciated how engaged you were during our calls. You had a clear idea of the message you wanted the tee to convey, but you left us plenty of space to explore ideas and get creative. The perfect collab partner! What are you feeling now about the tee we’ve created together?
We really couldn't be happier with how it’s turned out. We knew going into this that it was going to be cool, but it surpassed all of our expectations!
You did such a good job of weaving together some of mine and Ian's interests, and you really captured the spirit of the song. We especially love the symbolism of the flowers growing out of the barbed wire border. Even in a harsh environment, beauty can still be found and new life can take root.
We really couldn't be happier with how it’s turned out. We knew going into this that it was going to be cool, but it surpassed all of our expectations!
－ Ivory Snow －
SUNGAZE
Beautifully put. We’ve really enjoyed working with you these last months. Great fun from start to finish. With your new song and new tee all set for release, what’s next for Sungaze?
We have some touring coming up in the coming months, as well as more releases.
We’re really enjoying the workflow of focusing on one release at a time, and getting to really delve into the world of each song. It’s been very rewarding creatively. We’re excited to share everything we have lined up for the year.
Thanks again, Ivory. You and Ian have been awesome collab partners. If you’d like to do it all again someday, you know where we are. Any final words?
Thank you, all. I’m sure we’ll be in touch.
And for anyone reading this who feels like something isn’t quite right, ask your doctors for the tests you want. You know your body best and you deserve to be taken seriously. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.
♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎
▶︎ Preorder your Feel Better Tomorrow Tee today!
▶︎ ‘Feel Better Tomorrow’ by Sungaze drops on 11 April in all the usual places.
▶︎ Photography by Charlie Hausfeld.
Severed Tongues: Nothing Is Off The Table