After premiering across the US, SunSong, the latest film from Spearhead Unlimited, is now live with one of the raddest crews in surfing, with the likes of 17 year-old Fijian prodigy James Kusitino, Tosh Tudor, the certified prince of tube riding, surfer-shaper phenom Kobe Hughes, hard-charging Frankie Harrer, and the silky smooth and mighty limber Indigenous Australian hammer Lungi Slabb.
Yeah, that may be a mouthful, but it’s all true. Oh, and anchoring it all is the self-made emperor of style, and supreme leader of taste, Mikey February, who produced the film. Directed and edited by Sam Smith and filmed by Wade Carroll, Dave Fox, and Ian Thurtell, SunSong is a beautifully creative act that gives surfing the royal treatment.
SunSong was inspired by James, who has exploded onto the international scene over the past year or so, becoming Fiji’s first professional that has become a household name throughout the surfing world. His relationship with Cloudbreak, honestly, at times seems unreal. His approach to a serious wave is one of supreme playfulness — the bigger it gets, the bigger he smiles. He’s a natural, and the talent is evident, but I think it’s how he has fun that draws everyone in. You can’t not enjoy watching him surf.
He’s put Fiji on the map in a whole new way, and he’s been rewarded with a surf life few other Fijians have had. He’s only been in the spotlight for a short time, but he has already started to travel the world with the backing of serious sponsors like FORMER and SunBum.
Cloudbreak sets the stage for the all-star ensemble to do their thing, and while its clear that James is on home turf, the whole crew shines.
The soundtrack is a highlight of its own. It pairs legendary South African artists Hugh Masekela and Letta Mbulu and American saxophonist Azar Lawrence with field recordings gathered along the way, connecting Fiji and Africa through shared rhythms. The result is another creative classic from Spearhead Unlimited that has Mikey’s fingerprints all over it. As someone who watches an insane amount of surfing, I can safely say that his films hit in a way few others do, the kind that you don’t mind watching, or listening to, again and again.
Sam Smith
Beyond James, the crew is straight killer, all gas and no brakes when it comes to flexing at Cloudbreak. Perhaps the thing I love most about SunSong is how far it is from the standard edit. From the boards they ride to the lines they draw, it brings you in and things start to happen: your eyebrows raise after seeing James fade and down carve back towards the foam before sliding under the lip; your jaw drops as you watch him layback stall deep in a heavy Cloudbreak pit; you hit rewind again and again as the gang makes it all look so damn fun.
I could go on and on with different time stamps that blew my mind but it’s better you see for yourself. Press play, turn it up, and let Cloudbreak do the rest.
Related: Style is Everything in Craig Anderson and James Kusitino’s Latest Drop