Self-produced at Kingston's Tiny Racket Studios and released January 6, 2024, fans of Ian Thornley and Alice in Chains will rejoice in the post-grunge and heavy rock sounds Suns of Static have captured on "Echoes."

Although Suns of Static have been a fixture of Kingston's music community since forming in 2009, the band's current lineup coalesced in 2022: Mike Brown on lead vocals, Bill Cassidy on guitars and vocals, Alex Topping on bass, and John Callahan on drums and vocals.

To capture the momentum of their latest recruits—namely Brown and Topping—the band felt an urgency to record and release something that better represented their new sound. Their solution was to re-record songs from their 2023 album, "Souvenirs" and an older song from 2014's "Rise."

"Echoes" opens with Flares, whose catchy riff drags quickly pulls the song kicking through the door. Brown's raspy-smooth vocals shine, calling to mind the great grunge vocalists of Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, rest their souls.

Thicket hits heavy and hard, commencing with a thunderous guitar riff that sets the tone for what's to come. As the song progresses, the three-part harmonies of Mike, John, and Bill come crashing in like a tidal wave, adding a layer of depth and intensity to the music. Their voices blend seamlessly off and on, creating a wall of sound that burns bright like the sun.

I don’t have any of these when it comes to the band: Doubts. The haunting vocals, deep grunge guitar and distorted bass of this song drag you into nostalgia while offering a refreshingly modern twist.

Scrapheap completes the EP with a hard hit of melodic guitars, harmonies and uptempo drums. Hands-down the headbanger of the bunch, Scrapheap will will surely get the noggins nodding and the skulls swinging. A solid note on which to end that will leave you wanting more.

While the band continues developing their next batch of songs, Suns of Static will continue to perform live in Kingston, with their next show scheduled for March 14 at The Mansion (web link). Posted: Jan 26, 2024