SUSS share Sunset II, the first single from their forthcoming album Counting Sunsets, due May 15th via Northern Spy.
The New York-based trio — Pat Irwin (B-52s, Raybeats, 8 Eyed Spy), Bob Holmes (Rubber Rodeo), and Jonathan Gregg (The Linemen) — have spent the better part of a decade mapping the wide-open spaces between classic Americana instrumentation and atmospheric minimalism, a territory they’ve dubbed “ambient country.” On Sunset II, they push into subtly new ground. The track rides a more pronounced rhythmic pulse than much of their earlier work, stretching their signature slow-burn drift into something closer to motorik territory — pedal steel and synth haze glowing against a steady, propulsive undercurrent.
It’s a fitting point of entry for Counting Sunsets, which finds SUSS in a distilled, purified form. Recorded in a much more condensed window than previous releases and informed by a year spent touring together, the album captures three musicians operating with a familial shorthand, communicating through tone, space, and melody alone. The result feels episodic and reflective — a sequence of small, neon-lit moments passing like light at dusk, quietly preoccupied with memory and the slow erosion of time.
Sunset II was the last piece completed for the album, and nearly didn’t make the cut. It surfaces here as a liminal bridge from the band’s recent collaboration with Wire’s Colin Newman, a point of transition between projects that doubles as the album’s opening transmission.
Stream Sunset II: https://suss.lnk.to/sunsetII
SUSS will also have an expanded presence at this month’s Big Ears Festival, where they will present an evening celebrating their Across the Horizon project, featuring Hayden Pedigo, Chuck Johnson, Pan•American, Gwenifer Raymond, Dave Harrington, and more.
Pre-Order Counting Sunsets: https://suss.lnk.to/countingsunsets
Tour Dates
March 21 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s
March 23 – NYC – Night Club 101
March 26-March 29 – Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival
April 30 – Yucca Valley, CA – Mojave Gold
May 1 – Los Angeles, CA – On Joy
May 2 – Ojai, CA – Ojai Valley Women’s Club
May 3 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall
May 7 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
May 8 – Portland, OR – Polaris Hall
May 9 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
July 16 – Ostrava, Czech Republic – Colours of Ostrava