{"product_id":"sunn-o-sunn-o","title":"SUNN O))) - sunn O)))","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD - \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eIncludes expansive liner notes by author Robert Macfarlane, whose 2025 novel \u003cem\u003eIs a River Alive?\u003c\/em\u003e is among the many sources of inspiration for the album. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor nearly 30 years, \u003cstrong\u003eSUNN O)))\u003c\/strong\u003e – \u003cstrong\u003eStephen O’Malley\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eGreg Anderson\u003c\/strong\u003e – have pushed the boundaries of heavy music, straddling the worlds of the avant-garde and rock to forge a style instantly recognisable as their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, SUNN O))) return with their first album of new material since 2019’s acclaimed \u003cem\u003ePyroclasts\u003c\/em\u003e. Their tenth album – their debut for new label \u003cstrong\u003eSub Pop\u003c\/strong\u003e – demonstrates the duo’s mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eponymously titled \u003cem\u003eSUNN O)))\u003c\/em\u003e was tracked at \u003cstrong\u003eBear Creek Studios\u003c\/strong\u003e, Woodinville, Washington with \u003cstrong\u003eBrad Wood\u003c\/strong\u003e (HuM, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair). This location would prove crucial to the recording process.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The vast tracking room had big windows looking out on trees,” says O’Malley. “We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It was very inviting and very comfortable there,” adds Anderson. “There was no stress, no worry about the timeline or anything like that. We just let ourselves go, and let the music come out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSUNN O))) have long welcomed collaborators into their self-contained world, including such esteemed fellow travellers as Hungarian vocal explorer \u003cstrong\u003eAttila Csihar\u003c\/strong\u003e, Icelandic composer \u003cstrong\u003eHildur Guðnadóttir\u003c\/strong\u003e, Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist \u003cstrong\u003eSteve Moore\u003c\/strong\u003e, Texan polymath \u003cstrong\u003eMark Deutrom\u003c\/strong\u003e, Silkworm co-founder \u003cstrong\u003eTim Midyett\u003c\/strong\u003e and legendary singer-songwriter \u003cstrong\u003eScott Walker\u003c\/strong\u003e. For the new album, however, O’Malley and Anderson explore the still-fertile, primal territory of the duo format.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“On this album for the first time all of the instrumentation was performed by Greg and I,” says O’Malley. “All of the records have our leadership and direction, of course, but this time around, it was almost like this crucible of ideas that was really at the core of what we’ve been doing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecording exclusively as a duo should not be interpreted as SUNN O))) limiting or restricting themselves. To the contrary, it has opened up new possibilities for their music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What’s been happening with our performances over the last couple years with the two of us and no other collaborators or players has been really fresh and exciting,” says Anderson. “There’s been a lot of development. A lot of that was unexpected. And a lot of things that happened in the studio were really exciting and different from what we had been playing live, as well.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe six compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Opener “\u003cem\u003eXXANN\u003c\/em\u003e” enters with howling feedback before crunching into what might at first seem familiar territory – until one registers the sound of water trickling beneath. “\u003cem\u003eMindrolling\u003c\/em\u003e” likewise incorporates field recordings, as does “\u003cem\u003eGlory Black\u003c\/em\u003e”, which in addition introduces piano, by turns sonorous and delicate, into the mix, lending the already formidable piece a hushed, solemn feel. The Newcastle-forged originators of black metal get a shout out in the title of “\u003cem\u003eDoes Anyone Hear Like Venom?\u003c\/em\u003e” which seems to position Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon as deep listeners, attuned to their Tyneside surroundings in much the same way as SUNN O))) are to the forest enfolding Bear Creek Studios. Throughout the album, the interplay between O’Malley and Anderson attains fresh heights of telepathic intensity as they shape a music that itself breathes the bracing, earthy air of the Pacific Northwest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s always developing,” says Anderson. “That’s a constant, and that’s what sustains my interest and passion. There’s a movement that’s happening, whether it’s forward, backwards, to the side, whatever. That’s what makes playing in this group, at least for me, different and unique and special.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn October 2025 SUNN O))) released the first fruit of a new deal with celebrated US label \u003cstrong\u003eSub Pop\u003c\/strong\u003e in the form of a maxi 12” featuring “\u003cem\u003eEternity’s Pillars\u003c\/em\u003e”, “\u003cem\u003eRaise The Chalice\u003c\/em\u003e” and “\u003cem\u003eReverential\u003c\/em\u003e” – three monumental tracks from the same sessions that produced the new album. The alliance with Sub Pop makes perfect sense, as Anderson explains.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“We decided that we should approach Sub Pop, after I’d had some great conversations with \u003cstrong\u003eJonathan Poneman\u003c\/strong\u003e,” he says. “So I called him up and before I could get the words out of my mouth, he said, ‘We’d love to do it. Tell me what you guys need.’ He was really excited and supportive.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSUNN O))) are no strangers to striking cover art – as illustrated by their collaborations with \u003cstrong\u003eJoanne Ratcliffe\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong\u003eBlack One\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Serra\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong\u003eMonoliths \u0026amp; Dimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAngela LaFont Bolliger\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong\u003eKannon\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSamantha Keely Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e for \u003cstrong\u003eLife Metal\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ePyroclasts\u003c\/strong\u003e. For SUNN O))) they have been granted permission by the estate of the late American artist \u003cstrong\u003eMark Rothko\u003c\/strong\u003e to reproduce two of his paintings on the album’s sleeve.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Over a few years, I developed a correspondence with \u003cstrong\u003eChristopher Rothko\u003c\/strong\u003e via the Rothko Foundation’s \u003cstrong\u003eHenry Mandell\u003c\/strong\u003e,” explains O’Malley. “It’s such an honour to be in the proximity of art on that scale, which has moved me personally so much for decades. Standing in front of a Rothko painting you can experience landscapes, worlds and environments subjectively in the abstraction.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLiner notes for the album are provided by award-winning British writer \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Macfarlane\u003c\/strong\u003e, famed for his works concerning landscape and the multifaceted relationship between humanity and nature. Macfarlane negotiates the peaks and valleys of the SUNN O))) sound in a poetic, philosophical manner that will be familiar to readers of \u003cem\u003eMountains Of The Mind: A History Of A Fascination\u003c\/em\u003e (2003), \u003cem\u003eThe Wild Places\u003c\/em\u003e (2007), \u003cem\u003eUnderland: A Deep Time Journey\u003c\/em\u003e (2019) or \u003cem\u003eIs A River Alive?\u003c\/em\u003e (2025).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’ve been very interested in Robert’s writing for a long time,” says O’Malley. “He was very up for engaging with this project. And what he ended up turning in was mind-blowing. It’s part of the creative process, framing our music in a certain way, visually and with language, before presenting it to the world.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSUNN O))) also collaborated with French artist \u003cstrong\u003eElodie Lesourd\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose illustration work is featured on the inner LP sleeves and accompanying album merch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll of which adds up to a fully immersive experience, uniting sound, word and visual into something that is undeniably, completely SUNN O))).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoseph Stannard\u003c\/strong\u003e, January 2026.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sub Pop","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":57054987190617,"sku":"SDZ-33750","price":13.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/Sunn_O____-_self-titled_album_-_CD_-_2026.jpg?v=1768303249","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/sunn-o-sunn-o","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}