SUUNS
The Witness JOYFUL NOISE
7/10
Sleek fifth album from Montreal avant-rock unit
Suuns: slowburning
Suuns are one of those bands that sneak up on you. Active since 2007, their slow-burn take on rock music – or something like it – feels measured and meticulous, plotted with a strategic eye. Self-recorded and self-produced, The Witness finds the group – now a trio following the departure of keyboardist Max Henry – leaning into their minimalistic tendencies. “Witness Protection” and “Timebender” slink forth on crisp electronic rhythms, guitars used sparingly to supply melodic motifs or sheets of shimmering texture. It all leaves plenty of space for Ben Shemie’s effects-tweaked vocals – cryptic, fractured narratives that still deliver an emotional kick.