Today, Austin Texas band Suspirians, are debuting the new video for “Nocturne”. The track is off the band’s current release Ti Bon Ange, now out on Super Secret Records. Suspirians, play July 23rd in New Orleans, LA.

Quote about the video & song, by Marisa Pool, singer/guitarist of Suspirians:

“The song was originally called ‘Oh Mouchette’ inspired by the Robert Bresson film Mouchette. It’s a loveless tragedy about a young girl who is treated cruelly by everyone in her life. Thus the title ‘ octurne’. I was in awe of the sad beauty of this film and related to it on many levels. Mostly my own experience as a young woman navigating misogyny and abuse. Writing and performing it has been a way to channel my personal trauma and rage in a positive way. But I put a twist on it and made my character in the song survive even if she had to carry her own head around to do it. Its not a pretty song but It has meaningful core and is about finding strength in human misery.”

On the video:

“We honestly didn’t have much time to make a video, unfortunately! But we brought friends together to make it happen. Neil Ebflow created the visuals by using modular video synths and our friend Steve Marsh of Evil Triplett helped edit live footage shot by our other friend Ángel Delgado-Reyes. It turned out cool!”

Rock music, when done right, will always take us into a netherworld that we never knew existed, but we always somehow felt was within ourselves. The cosmos of inescapable rhythm, in-your-face melody and words, all speak simple truths that perhaps we couldn’t speak for ourselves. Austin, TX trio Suspirians summons that netherworld with their sophomore album Ti Bon Ange.

The album title is taken from a Haitian voodoo term that translates literally to “little good angel” — the part of one’s soul that holds one’s individuality and personal qualities, which leaves the body when sleeping so you can dream. It’s a title quite befitting of the experience listening to Ti Bon Ange, where listeners become immersed in a sound, not just casually attending to it.

From the first notes of the album, throughout its 7-song, 40 minute duration it’s clear that Suspirians aim to deconstruct rock in a way that’s both psychedelic and mysterious as much as it’s direct, infectious and powerful. Guitarist/vocalist Marisa Pool, bassist/keyboardist Stephanie Demopulos and drummer Lisa Cameron craft songs that shape-shift from part to part rather than follow traditional verse-chorus-verse structure. It’s a wall of guitars and subtle synth layers, vocals drenched in reverb and on the brink of feedback, powerful and open drumming that allows the songs to flow like molten lava without ever sounding lethargic. Points of reference bridge a wide array of psychedelic, punk and experimental sounds: Pylon, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Stooges first album, Frightwig, early Butthole Surfers, Roky Erickson & The Aliens, late 70s British post-punk and more.

“We would end up getting lost in the songs together in a sort of epic fever dream,” Pool says. “We did not overthink or over control anything on this record. It was all about going with the flow and following our instincts.” Suspirians’ self-titled debut album — with original drummer Anna Lamphear — was comparatively a more straightforward and garagey affair. Pool and Demopulos began experimenting with their sound soon after and with the addition of Cameron, they collectively found the aesthetic they were after. Cameron’s extensive musical history — having played with the legendary Roky Erickson, as well as celebrated Austin psych band ST37 and other improv/noise projects — helped the band expand its vision. Suspirians’ former synth player Sheila Scoville also guested on the recording.

Ti Bon Ange was recorded at 5th Street Studios with engineer Evan Kleinecke, while the band was still navigating their way through the nascent songs. “We had some raw and powerful basic tracks to bounce off of and the rest of the time was just having fun playing really loud and experimenting,” Pool says. The results are equally as deliberate and completely free as groundbreaking rock’n’roll should be.

Artist: Suspirians
Album: Ti Bon Ange
Label: Super Secret Records

01. Fortune Spider
02. Nocturne
03. Moonwave
04. Black Holes
05. Clean Evil
06. Scarlett Sleeps
07. Divine Spark

TOUR DATES:

07/23 New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar
07/25 Nashville, TN @ Betty’s
07/27-29 Indian Meadow, WV @ Voice of the Valley Fest
07/31 Cincinnati, OH @ Rakes End
08/01 Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub
08/02 Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
08/03 Akron, OH @ Hive Mind
08/04 Columbia, MO @ Cafe Berlin
08/05 Kansas City, MO @ Blind Tiger