SUNN O)))

The doom metal duo Sunn O))) deliver a live experience of physical sound, fog and icy maximalism.

SUNN O))). S/T. Self-titled. Indeed: the latest album is simply named after the band, which is known for its drawn-out, feedback-laden drone. It was released on the Sub Pop label, following over two decades of countless releases on Southern Lord. Another new development is that Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson recorded their latest album entirely as a duo, without any fellow musicians, save for space and time.

Of course, the guitar duo’s work is by no means isolated, as the collaborations surrounding the album impressively demonstrate: the covers are (indeed) Rothkos, and both the LP and CD include a few lines by the writer Robert Macfarlane, who is known for his works on landscape and the complex relationship between humans and nature. The latter played a key role in the album’s recording process, as O’Malley himself says of their time at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington: ‘The vast tracking room had big windows looking out onto trees, […] We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it.” The result: Dröhnen at its finest.

SUNN O))) are supported by the duo Nataša Grujović and Steve Moore. In 2022, the pair performed as part of a tribute to the late Luxembourgish artist Steve Kaspar. Initially, they focused on Kaspar’s unfinished compositions. In 2023, the duo composed their first original works, which premiered at the Casino Luxembourg under the title Event Horizon and were later performed at the KulturFabrik in Esch. Despite many similarities with electroacoustic music – such as the use of synthesizers and digital processing – the duo draws primarily on the resonance of acoustic spaces and the instruments they play (accordion and trombone) to create harmonic fields into which melodic elements such as spiritual jazz, ritual drones and Western classical traditions flow.