Suuns
Suuns (/suːns/) is a Canadian rock band from Montreal. It was formed in the summer of 2007 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 was soon joined by drummer Liam O'Neill and bassist/keyboardist Max Henry to complete the line-up.The band signed to Secretly Canadian in 2010.
Suuns | |
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Suuns performing at Haldern Pop in 2013 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Krautrock, neo-psychedelia, art punk[1] |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Secretly Canadian, Secret City, White Wabbit |
Website | http://secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?name=suuns |
Members | Ben Shemie Liam O'Neill Max Henry Joseph Yarmush |
History
2010: Zeroes QC
In 2009, Suuns entered Breakglass Studios with Jace Lasek of the Besnard Lakes co-producing and engineering, and recorded their first album, Zeroes QC. Upon its release in 2010, a reviewer of The New York Times said that it offered a "rigorous strategy behind every gorgeous onslaught."[2] The album appeared on the !Earshot National Top 50 Chart.[3] Suuns toured the East Coast in the summer with Parlovr and further established their fan base during their fall tour with Land of Talk and The Besnard Lakes.
2011: "Bambi" b/w "Red Song”
Suuns spent much of 2011 performing in the U.S., Europe and Canada including New York's CMJ, SXSW, Primavera Sound, and over twelve other festivals. They also headlined a Canadian tour and co-headlined a North American tour with PS I Love You. During a rare couple weeks off in Montreal, Suuns decided to take a risk to experiment and create two new, unusual songs. "Red Song" and "Bambi" were extended pieces unlike Suuns' previous works.
2012: Transitional
In 2012, Suuns were the curators for the Sonic City Festival in Belgium. Other festival performances included The National's ATP Festival, London's Village Underground, and Paris's Point Ephemere. The band also spent much of the year preparing to release their second album, Images Du Futur, which they announced in November, and gearing up for the busy year ahead. They finished off 2012 with a month-long tour from mid-November through mid-December.
2013: Images Du Futur
The band kicked off the year with a January release of new music video "Edie's Dream" and a February release of the video for "2020". Their second album, Images Du Futur, was released by Secretly Canadian on March 5 (except in Canada on Secret City Records) in the middle of Suuns' international three-month tour featuring We Are Wolves and Plants and Animals. The Line of Best Fit describes the album: "Images Du Futur is exciting in a way that few albums manage to be, dangerous and compelling like a first cigarette or fumbled sexual encounter, and nothing here quite seems real: these ten tracks exist in a half-light, a nocturnal fog a step removed from lucid thought. And a long, long way from anything routine."[4] In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
2015: Suuns and Jerusalem In My Heart
Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart released their self-titled album worldwide on April 14, 2015 and announced tour and festival dates. An Exclaim! interview states, "Recorded over a week in November 2012, the tracks mixed the strengths of both bands: the Eastern modes and drones plus the Arabic vocal delivered by Moumneh, and the keyboard arpeggios and incisive guitars of Suuns' Shemie and Joe Yarmush."[5]
2016: Hold/Still
In May 2015 the band began recording Hold/Still in Dallas, Texas with producer John Congleton. During the three-week recording session, Congleton encouraged the band to capture flawless live takes of each track, without use of overdubs. The album includes songs that the band had been working on for several years but never showed up on previous albums, including "Translate" and "Infinity". It was released on April 15, 2016 via Secretly Canadian.
In November 2016, the band also curates their own program during the tenth Anniversary Edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This curated program includes performances by amongst others Pauline Oliveros, Alessandro Cortini, Patrick Higgins and Jerusalem in My Heart.
On October 30, 2020, the band released their EP, Fiction, via Secret City and Joyful Noise.[6]
Facts
Their song "Up Past The Nursery" is used in the TV series The Blacklist.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Zeroes QC (2010), Secretly Canadian
- Images Du Futur (2013), Secretly Canadian
- Hold/Still (2016), Secretly Canadian
- Felt (2018)
- EP
- Fiction (2020), Secret City and Joyful Noise
- Singles
- "Bambi" b/w "Red Song” (2011), Secretly Canadian
- Collaborative albums
- Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart (2015, with Jerusalem in My Heart)
References
- Berman, Stuart (April 10, 2015). "Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- Jon Pareles. "The Reliable (Melodic) Drone of Suuns". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, October 26, 2010". !Earshot.
- "Suuns - Images Du Futur | The Line Of Best Fit". Web.archive.org. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- Hill, Eric. "Suuns Talk Their Meeting of Minds with Jerusalem in My Heart". Exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- Vitagliano, Joe (October 30, 2020). "Suuns Explores New Territory And New Vibes On New EP, "FICTION"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
External links
- "Maria (suuns_) on Myspace". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- "Suuns". Secretlycanadian.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- Phillips, Amy. "Suuns - Albums, Songs, and News". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
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