New Jersey sludge and noise band SUNROT has today announced their second album, and first under the Prosthetic Records banner, The Unfailing Rope – due out on April 7. Alongside the album announcement SUNROT has also shared a music video for lead single Gutter, which features additional vocals and lyric contributions from Bryan Funck (Thou) & Emily McWilliams (Silver Godling).
WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR GUTTER BELOW.
Gutter
will be available on all streaming platforms tomorrow (February 3).
Pre-order The Unfailing Rope here.
Of the album announcement, Ross Bradley (bass) comments: “The Unfailing Rope is a document of grief and hope to reflect our current moment. This record was created while we firsthand experienced our city come to a reckoning with its people. Our planet being irreparably eroded, our communities being killed. But also a time where more people than ever are ready to fight back. A time where the most pain has also birthed the most righteous anger and action. The Unfailing Rope is the mantra of light and the path to death.”
On Gutter, Bradley adds: “Gutter is, likewise, a track full of grief and hope. Ecological genocide, like the proposed “cop city” destroying Atlanta forests, is more and more commonplace. The insatiable maw of colonialism and capitalism is driven toward ending life on earth for profit and will not stop unless we stop it. We believe that the land belongs to its indigenous keepers and must be ceded back to their stewardship. Gutter is a plea for action and an expression of hope that a better world is possible, and maybe not even just possible, but inevitable, if that’s what we choose.”
At times The Unfailing Rope seemed to be a cursed project; recorded no less than three times before hitting the jackpot with its final iteration, completing the record was a hard-fought battle. Vocalist Lex Santiago was hospitalised between the first and second recordings, suffering from a psychotic episode. Although it may have seemed like an albatross around their necks, The Unfailing Rope eventually provided salvation and catharsis for SUNROT
in ways they had never anticipated.
Reflecting on the difficulties they overcame collectively to reach a point where the album was fit for release, the band are resolute in finding joy in the debris of the experience. Whilst the musical output is gritty, venomous and far beyond heavy, it is healing, acceptance and forgiveness that is at the heart of what drives SUNROT forward as a band. Coupled with a DIY ethos that connects them firmly to their roots, SUNROT
are determined to be a force for good, despite the pain and darkness embedded in their music.
The third and final recording was captured by Scot Moriarty at Backroom Studios in Rockaway, New Jersey, and later mastered by Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna. The trial and error of earlier sessions led to a more precise execution of their vision, a more confident approach and a ultimately more live and organic sounding record than they’d originally anticipated. Their take on sludge is adrenalised by the addition of samples, noise and experimentalism. With guest musicians including Bryan Funck, Emily McWilliams, and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer) adding embellishments to the core SUNROT
sound, the final result is electrifying.
SUNROT is very much a product of its environment; The Unfailing Rope an anthology of the lived experiences of authors. From the micro to the macro, personal to political, every scar, every tale is etched into the fabric of The Unfailing Rope with unflinching detail. SUNROT
keen to stress that for all of the trauma, loss and catharsis, joy is only just below the surface.