Suitor’s first LP, ‘Saw You Out with the Weeds‘, is the kind of record that makes you want to buy a vintage leather jacket so that you can gloomily lean against a brick wall. This is a masterclass in gothy post-punk that feels like a fever dream shared by Siouxsie Sioux and Sonic Youth while they’re trapped in a basement with a broken strobe light. Released via Feel It Records and produced by the duo behind Sweeping Promises, the album trades polished pop tropes for jagged, anxious energy and basslines so driving they could probably power a small city. It’s moody, it’s angular, and it sounds exactly like what would happen if the band Pylon decided to start ghost-hunting in Cleveland.
The tracks themselves are delightfully jittery, particularly the lead single “Factory,” which builds a claustrophobic groove that feels like a stylish panic attack. The opener, “Model Actress,” sets a high bar with guitars that scratch and claw at the melody, while the closer, “Televangelist,” slows things down just enough to let the atmospheric dread really soak into your marrow. It’s the perfect soundtrack for those days when you feel a bit “unwashed” but still want everyone to know you have impeccable taste in underground music.
Honestly, the only thing that rivals the dark, textured layers of this album is a Saturday spent in the Riverwest neighborhood. There is a specific kind of spiritual alignment that occurs when you pair Suitor’s dissonant hooks with the Loaded Hashbrowns at Nessun Dorma. If you haven’t sat there brooding over a Steak and Egg Panini, you haven’t truly lived. It is quite literally to die for. Whether you’re fueling up for a post-punk deep dive with their brunch or ending a moody Saturday night with their legendary Lasagna, the comfort of those carbs is the perfect counterbalance to Suitor’s sharp, cold-wave edges. It’s a vibe that’s half-haunted house, half-neighborhood bistro, and I truly cannot get enough of either.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/suitortheband/
https://suitor.bandcamp.com/album/saw-you-out-with-the-weeds-2
https://suitor.band/