SUUNS play Lee’s Palace March 23, as part of Canadian Music Week. See listings. Rating: NNNN
Montreal’s Suuns made a strong first impression with their 2010 debut, Zeroes QC, combining ominous, pulsing synths with dissonant post-punk guitars and unexpected bursts of pop harmonies. Rather than mess with a good thing, they’ve simply refined that bag of tricks on the sequel, once again working with producer Jace Lasek.
Recorded with the Montreal student protests filling the streets around them every day, Images Du Futur is more dissonant than its predecessor. The uneasy, tightly coiled mood can start to feel oppressive, but then suddenly a big major-key melody comes out of nowhere to break the tension.
Pop hooks aside, Images Du Futur is not a feel-good record. But if you can deal with some dark, creepy, bummer vibes, it reveals new layers with each listen.
Top track: Minor Work
