Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Searching through the subconscious is an art form that many find unsettling, it reveals parts of the mind that they would prefer to be closed off, shut away, lacking in depth and the eloquence that insists we explore if we are to produce that which frames us with completeness, that which rejoices our soul as we perform to the massed ranks of all who wish us well.
We must accept that a minimalist approach can work wonders on occasion, the clutter put to a side so that the subconscious, the automatic writing that comes from seeing a clear subtle path, is so overwhelmingly cool that what is revealed to the public is arguably one of the most edifying and electrifying pieces of art they are likely to hear all year.
The pared back approach is obvious, and yet in the clear path driven there is an abundance of sound that crashes into the wall of silence as though it was a rocket ship penetrating the heavens with an aura of respect and hope attached to its sizeable mainframe. This is the seismic sense of absolute that The Suns bring to their brand-new recording of Reverse Life Forward.
The album is resolute, it hammers home the power and dynamic that Dave Lloyd, Lauren Daly, Markus Mulholland, Simon Remery, and Gordon Logan bring to the table, a banquet filled, silver service express of imagination and drama, and as tracks such as the phenomenal single Immaterial Days kicks off the New Brighton’s towering musical inferno, as Know The Know, A Mile In My Shoes, Wake Of Thoughts (Flying Again) and the linguistically pleasing Backwards Shadow all stamp their presence with pressure and cunning beauty, so the pleasure intensifies…for one listen straight off the bat is not enough, it requires back to back attention just to appreciate the understanding that the dust of time has been shaken off and what remains is an audio dream.
It’s time once more to laud The Suns, for in Reverse Life Forward the passion infects the senses with a calm display of a million beating hearts falling in love. Outrageously cool, unashamedly The Suns.
Ian D. Hall