Critical Voices: Suuns, Zeroes QC

Modern indie music is too often composed of clichéd hooks and formulaic replications of once-original devices. The genre’s progression towards artistic homogeneity makes new approaches all the more refreshing to hear. Montreal’s Suuns is one of those bands that surpasses expectations, and has attempted to redefine the limitations of the song as a means of expression.

On their debut album, Zeroes QC, Suuns mixes organic and electronic for a fresh effect. Each song is structured so that its minimalist elements build upon themselves, either culminating in a satisfying stasis or collapsing upon their foundations in disharmony.

Album opener “Armed for Peace” gives listeners a taste of what to expect. Its thick, throbbing percussion lays the groundwork for a jagged synth line that builds and flows into a comfortable groove. But this is only to create a deceiving sense of comfort—a minute and thirty seconds later, the guitar gets aggressive and takes on a sense of immediacy. The change is unexpected, yet it somehow feels inevitable.

The next nine tracks follow a similar trajectory. Each exceeds expectations and keeps you guessing. But since the tracks lack strong aesthetic cohesion, it’s difficult to label the album as having a specific style.

“Arena” borrows the arpeggiation of Muse’s “Knights of Cydonia” and throws it in a stylistic blender with elements of post-punk and dub to create an eerie and groovy calm. “Pie IX” breathes like a nightmarish whisper that dances continuously around a climax that it never realizes. “Up Past the Nursery,” without a doubt the album’s most listener-friendly track, invokes the subdued delicacy of early Clinic.

From a theoretical perspective, Suuns has created a contender for album of the year. They’ve shown that they have the capacity to articulate their style in a variety of ways that never sound forced, with each song carefully built within its individual framework. And while a couple tracks, namely “Marauder” and “Fear,” sound as if they aren’t fully realized ideas, Zeroes QC puts Suuns’ talent and capacity for exploration on full, impressive display.

Voice’s Choices: “Gaze,” “Pie IX,” “Organ Blues”