For nearly 30 years, SUNN O))) – Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson –
have pushed the boundaries of heavy music, straddling the worlds of the
avant-garde and rock to forge a style instantly recognisable as their own. Now,
SUNN O))) return with their first album of new material since 2019’s
acclaimed Pyroclasts. Their tenth album – their debut for Sub Pop –
demonstrates the duo’s mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their
willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms.
The eponymously titled SUNN O))) was tracked at Bear Creek Studios,
Woodinville, Washington with Brad Wood (HuM, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate,
Liz Phair). This location proved crucial to the recording process. “The vast
tracking room had big windows looking out on trees,” says O’Malley. “We
could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a
big part of it.”
SUNN O))) have long welcomed collaborators into their self-contained world:
past work has featured, Attila Csihar (Mayhem), composer Hildur Guðnadóttir,
multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore, polymath Mark Deutrom, Silkworm’s Tim
Midyett and legendary singer-songwriter Scott Walker. But on this album
O’Malley and Anderson found fresh possibilities in the primal territory of the
duo format, performing all the instrumentation themselves. “What’s been
happening with our performances over the last couple years with the two of us
and no other collaborators has been really fresh and exciting,” says Anderson.
The compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely
detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Amidst
howling feedback and glacial crunch, one finds surprisingly delicate
moments: a field recording of water trickles beneath, piano interludes lend a
hushed, solemn feel. All while the duo attains fresh heights of telepathic
intensity as they shape music that breathes the bracing, earthy air of the
Pacific Northwest.
Framing the album visually are two paintings by the late American artist Mark
Rothko. Liner notes are by award-winning British writer Robert Macfarlane,
famed for his works concerning landscape and the relationship between
humanity and nature. Through the work of the band, Macfarlane, and Rothko,
sound, word and visual combine into a fully immersive experience that is
undeniably, completely SUNN O))).
...OUT 3 APRIL 2026!
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>>>If you would like your pre-orders (with different release dates) shipped separately—please order them separately.
If not, we will happily ship all your items, when the last title is released!
xo-tLc