Suns hum with a sound bigger than all outer space. A band formed out of Chicago's golden boys Wax On Radio and They Found Me They Named Me, Suns are the latest addition to the lineage of huge, unruly music. Suns employ a wide array of instruments to ensure the authenticity of their dark, drunk and desperate American sound: mandolin, glockenspiel, rhodes electric piano, various noise machines evoking the sound of demons clawing their way out of hell, clarinet, banjo, harmonium and a bowed guitar reminiscent of Jimmy Page's dead son drifting in limbo are all skillfully pulled together into tight little slabs of carefully arranged avalanches.
Suns took their controlled chaos out of the basement and debuted in January 2010 at their hometown's hallowed Metro. Shortly after, Suns crashed Austin's coveted SXSW Music Festival and they have been tearing up joints with regularity ever since, including headlining slots at Chicago's Double Door, Schubas and Lincoln Hall. Not ones to stunt momentum, June 2010 saw the release of two EPs on one CD - two different moods, two different recording studios, two different EPs - entitled Close Calls in The U.S. Space Program/The Howl And The Many. Despite the initial befuddlement that a 2-in-1 release brought, critics have been buzzing about the sound of Suns. Feel the hype:
"Immediately arresting. Few bands sound anything like this." - (aidabet.com)
"These releases show not only promise, but hearken a musical identity that has not yet been born." - (gatherroundthemic.com)
"Different and dare I say genius; I honestly think that these belong in everyones CD collection." - (alterthepress.com)
"Suns have provided us with nine songs that sound new and slightly classic at the same time." - (loudlooppress.com)
"People need to hear this band." - (Dedicated Ears Music Blog)
For a band named after the fact that there is not one Sun, but trillions of suns all over the universe, the concept behind the name is fitting. In an attempt to comprehend the size and weight of it all, Suns has managed to funnel disparate, lofty influences and the pure might of 6 seasoned musicians into a cohesive rock band. Soon they'll be loading up their tour vehicle - a full-size decommissioned school bus - with their many instruments to bring you their big sound. You'll be able to hear them coming.