I don’t really need to review this record, it’s already been picked up and praised by the Pitchfork’s and NME’s of the world but I got sent a real copy of it so I feel that I owe them somehow. I was lured in by the stunning, epilepsy inducing video for “2020” and while the whole album isn’t quite as dance-able and compact / effective as this great song, it is a bloody good album. Mixing up catchy songs with intelligent construction, Suuns are a tightly wound fusion of rock and electronics with the core band being augmented by strategically placed synths and effects, but they’re not overwhelmed by them. The vocal delivery is very Thom Yorke but the music is far from Radiohead and comparisons to Can are pretty sensibly reached, but they restrict themselves to pop-length songs throughout rather than indulging in Krautrock’s epic song durations. Various influences rear their head but usually disappear before you can grasp them and so Suuns come across as confident and like-able and well read if difficult to describe. My lasting impression is that this is a solid record that will please all sorts of listeners for all sorts of reasons and wouldn’t disappoint anyone who purchased it.
Kim Monaghan
