Suuns

Suuns
Suuns performing at Haldern Pop in 2013
Background information
Origin	Montreal, Canada
Genres	Electronic rock, 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

Suuns (/suːns/)^[2] is a Canadian rock band from Montreal. The group 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.^[3] The band signed to Secretly Canadian in 2010.

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 in The New York Times said that it offered a "rigorous strategy behind every gorgeous onslaught."^[4] They 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 at a plethora of festivals in the US, 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 crack at a few new 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; this was just one of Suuns’ many festival performances of the year. 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: 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.” ^[5] 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." ^[6]

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 15th, 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.

Discography

Studio albums

• Zeroes QC (2010), Secretly Canadian
• Images Du Futur (2013), Secretly Canadian
• Hold/Still (2016), Secretly Canadian

Singles

• “Bambi" b/w "Red Song” (2011), Secretly Canadian

Collaborative albums

• Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart (2015, with Jerusalem in My Heart)

References

• http://www.secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?name=suuns
• http://pitchfork.com/artists/29065-suuns/

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