Suuns music was delivered to us one afternoon accompanied with a short note from Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes and Montreal’s Breakglass Studios, where he had recently recorded the band. “Thought you might like to hear them. They’re pretty cool,” his note simply read. And while, technically this is correct, it hardly prepared us for the near immediate infatuation with Suuns’ blistering, dark electro and arena-sized psych. Elements of Suicide, Clinic and This Heat simultaneously delivered with a youthful swagger and a learned restraint, Suuns rapidly became the phantoms of our evening listening hours. And now, we are proud to share Suuns’ music with you, albeit in a missive that absolutely explodes Lasek’s modest brevity all to hell.
Montreal’s Suuns were born during the summer of 2006 when vocalist/guitarist Ben Shemie and guitarist/bassist Joe Yarmush got together to make some beats which quickly evolved into a few songs. The duo were soon joined by drummer Liam O’Neill and bassist/keyboardist Max Henry to complete the line-up.
As an introduction to the young men of Suuns, we are offering a free download of Suuns’ first release, Zeroes EP, that to date has only been available through Other Music and at Suuns live shows. Zeroes EP also contains early versions of soon-to-be album cuts “Arena” and “PVC.” Minimalist rhythms are equally informed by Joy Division and Can, often wrapped in a noisy squall of droning guitars and pulsing synths, it’s the pitch perfect primer for Suuns vision. “I killed a man when I was 11 years old, but I’m innocent,” snarls Shemie on EP opener “The Disappearance of the Skyscraper” over an organ-and-drum stomp that feels like a switchblade-carrying version of Silver Apples. Shemie’s close-mic’d sing/speak is as metronomic as it is melodic; in “Arena” Shemie’s rhythmic “What-choo, what-choo”’s are reminiscent of Suicide’s Alan Vega as he leads the band’s death disco groove into a bloodbath of razor-sharp guitars. Download all six songs from the Zeroes EP, ready to be shared with the world, below.
The band has a string of East Coast dates with Parlovr beginning tonight at the Mercury Lounge in New York. Then in September, Suuns set off on a full-on U.S. tour, sharing dates with The Besnard Lakes and Land of Talk. Stay tuned for more info on Suuns’ upcoming full-length album to be released before the end of 2010.
TOUR DATES:
09/16 Toronto, ON- Lee’s Palace w/ Land of Talk
09/19 Cleveland, OH- Beachland Tavern w/ Land of Talk
09/21 Chicago, IL- Lincoln Hall w/ Land of Talk
09/22 Minneapolis, MN- 7th Street Entry w/ Land of Talk
09/23 Omaha, NE- Slowdown w/ Land of Talk
09/25 Denver, CO- Larimer Lounge w/ Land of Talk
09/26 Salt Lake City, UT- Kilby Court w/ Land of Talk
09/29 Edmonton, AB- Starlite Ballroom w/ Land of Talk
09/30 Calgary, AB- Dicken’s Pub w/ Land of Talk
10/02 Victoria, BC- Lucky Bar w/ Land of Talk
10/03 Vancouver, BC- Biltmore Cabaret w/ Land of Talk
10/04 Seattle, WA- Crocodile w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/05 Portland, OR- Mississippi Studios w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/07 San Francisco, CA- The Independent w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/08 Los Angeles, CA- Echoplex w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/09 Costa Mesa, CA- Detroit Bar w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/10 San Diego, CA- Casbah w/ The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk
10/12 Phoenix, AZ- The Rhythm Room w/ Land of Talk
10/15 Austin, TX- The Parish w/ Land of Talk
10/16 Dallas, TX- The Nightmare w/ Land of Talk