SAN DIEGO, Calif. (17 JULY 2026): Pacific Records’ beach rock band Sandollar released their new album Sunny Day on Friday (July 17), kicking off a packed weekend of performances and media appearances that underscore a major moment for the San Diego favorites.
The band began celebrating early Friday morning with a live performance of “Sunny Day” and “I’ll Be There” from Sunny Day on KUSI-TV. On Sunday, Sandollar will headline Pacific Records’ showcase at Kate Sessions Park, expected to be one of the summer’s standout local music events with more than a thousand fans anticipated.
Written by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Baron Lunbeck, the 13-track album was produced by Brian Witkin and Donna Daly. Sandollar will officially celebrate Sunny Day with an album release concert on August 22 at The Holding Company in San Diego. The album will be available on vinyl on that date.
Momentum for Sunny Day has been building since mid-May when Pacific Records released a new version of fan favorite “Up Up” featuring Dizzy Wright as an instant-grat track. The rapper and record producer will join Sandollar to perform “Up Up” at the Pacific Records showcase. A second instant-grat track—the breezy, feel-good title song—arrived in mid-June alongside a video featuring reggae and island music artist KBong (Stick Figure). Behind-the-scenes footage from the recording and video sessions helped fuel early excitement.
Sandollar describes their sound as “beach rock,” a fusion of reggae, surf rock, and hip-hop. The songs on Sunny Day offer lyrics about SoCal skate and surf culture, relationship twists, alien partners, persistence, optimism, and the inner journey.
Sunny Day was recorded at the Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in Los Angeles with Lunbeck, guitarist Marco Rodrigues, guitarist-vocalist David Basham, drummer-vocalist Henry Ortiz, and bassist Max Damkoehler. John Lousteau engineered and mixed the album; Charlie LoPresti co-engineered, and Phil Feinman mastered. KBong and Wright recorded their contributions in San Diego at The Music Company (TMC) with engineer Jack Pawela. Michael Marchi and TMC’s Ted Pawela served as executive producers.
Recent media support includes a live Sandollar performance released through TMC’s Beach Break Sessions, an interview with Stomping Grounds with Tim Pyles on KNSJ radio, and a full-band live performance and conversation on UCLA Radio. Additionally, local brewery California Wild Ales created a Sandollar Sunny Day Lager with the album cover art decorating the can to celebrate the record release.
Formed in 2006 after meeting in a high school woodshop class, Sandollar has built a strong regional and national presence. Their 2013 Pacific Records debut Roller Coaster Ride entered the iTunes Reggae Albums chart at No. 7, and their 2023 album Under The Water won the San Diego Music Award (SDMA) for Best World Music Album. Last year, Sandollar received a Best World Music Artist nomination at the SDMAs. Their music has been featured on CBS’s Magnum PI and Netflix’s Outer Banks.
With Sunny Day, Sandollar is poised for a breakthrough as San Diego’s beach rock culture continues to gain national attention.
Upcoming San Diego-area performances include:
August 1 Intercontinental Hotel
August 8 HessFest XVI
September 12 Sunset Cliffs Auto Show
Purchase or stream Sunny Day: https://orcd.co/sunnydayalbum
Watch Sandollar on Beach Break Sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZWlgiVxm3Q
For more information: www.sandollartheband.com