Montreal band SUUNS – comprised of Ben Shemie, Joe Yarmush, and Liam O’Neill – have announced their new album and Joyful Noise Recordings debut, The Witness, out September 3rd.
With the departure of Max Henry as a full time member in 2018 and Shemie now living an ocean apart in Paris, a fresh challenge manifested for the trio to find each other again, both socially and creatively. Yarmush says: “It was a conscious decision to make the album sound like one song. We wanted to calm down a bit, even during the mixing process: our notes were simply ‘you have to settle down’. I couldn’t technically explain what I meant by that, but the songs needed to settle down. We were basically trying to hold back all the bombastic tendencies and make things sound very subtle.”
“There’s always this restraint in SUUNS: the question of ‘how long can we hold off?,” explains Shemie. “I think it’s beautiful that way because it always brings out something unexpected. But if you’re willing to stick with us – at a show or through our music in general – it will pay off. It might take a while to get there, but we will drop a beat for you eventually. I love that we’ve been able to stick to the minimal side of things, and just let it breathe.”
The band have also shared the lead single/video, “Witness Protection“, which Max Henry worked on in his new role as studio collaborator, pulses with a simple, bright beat, and fuzz-tinged vocals: “There’s a hole in the sky // It’s all over the news // Im looking through a lens, reflection never // ends through a broken mirror // Call in the witness // To take a stand.” In the accompanying video, directed by Antoine Dasseville, a person is watching a television that flickers with destructive scenes. As it continues, the video grows darker and noisier.
Watch and listen to “Witness Protection” below:
The Witness artwork & tracklist:
1. Third Stream
2. Witness Protection
3. C-Thru
4. Timebender
5. Clarity
6. The Fix
7. Go To My Head
8. The Trilogy
The band have scheduled a European tour for October this year, with UK shows in London, Glasgow and Manchester. See all dates below:
22.9.2021 L’Imperial, Quebec City (QC)
23.9.2021 Café du Clocher, Alma (QC)
24.9.2021 Le Petite Boite Noire, Sherbrooke (QC)
29.9.2021Le Zaricot, Saint-Hyacinthe (QC)
1.10.2021 Club Saw, Ottawa (ON)
2.10.2021 Lee’s Palace, Toronto (ON)
23.10.2021 Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL)
24.10.2021 Oslo, London (UK)
25.10.2021 Oslo, London (UK)
26.10.2021 Classic Grand, Glasgow (UK)
27.10.2021 White Hotel, Manchester (UK)
28.10.2021 Orangerie, Brussels (B)
29.10.2021 Rote Fabrik, Zurich (CH)
31.10.2021 Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam (NL)
01.11.2021 Köln, Bumann & Sohn (GER)
02.11.2021 Lido, Berlin (GER)
04.11.2021 Alice Copenhagen (DK)
06.11.2021 Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
07.11.2021 Schorndorf, Manufaktur (GER)
08.11.2021 Maroquinerie, Paris (FR)