Biography
Brooklyn-based suā (pronounced "sway"), all New York natives, have been playing together since 2008. Their name inspired by the Mandarin word for "sleep," the band creates lush soundscapes influenced equally by 90's shoegaze and Touch and Go math-rock, with singer Suki Kwan's ethereal vocals floating through the mix. The band's new EP, "Twins," is their most confident statement to date: guitarists Brian Alvarez and Leigh Taylor create a dense whirlwind of perfectly matched tones, while the rhythm section of bassist Oleg Balitskiy and drummer Cinque Kemp add a jazzy, polyrhythmic underpinning unlike their more straightforward peers in the shoegaze scene, past or present. The subject matter of Kwan's lyrics: fractious relationships, substance abuse, and depression - give the album a decidedly dark undertone; even the band's ode to New York's Rockaway Beach, "Beach 90," sounds eerie.
Dream-pop, shoegaze, prog - whatever you want to call it, "Twins," is an addictive album that rewards multiple listens to hear everything buried in the expertly produced-mix, done by the band's own Leigh Taylor and recorded by Taylor and bassist Balitskiy at the band's studio in Williamsburg.
suā announced an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2013.
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