ALBUM REVIEW: The Great Overgrowth – SUDS
Indie-emo quartet SUDS have finally put out their debut full-length The Great Overgrowth – a release that acts as the next chapter following their 2022 EP In The Undergrowth. The band themselves, formed purely based on friendship and a shared love of the DIY scene, have described their influences for lyrics and sounds as coming from a combination of Midwest emo and the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene.
As a result, The Great Overgrowth is a record that feels ethereal and calming, and, frankly, just sounds so beautiful. Opening with A Terrible Thing, the tone for the record is set with the band’s style of alternative rock and gentle vocals creating something that’s moody, yet so pretty. But when we move into the next track Changing, we hear things from the other side of the spectrum with something upbeat and feel-good. It gives you a comforting feeling in that, despite the hardships of the world, things will work out in their own way, and the mini breakdown in the final bridge is fantastic and is a perfect pay-off for the build-up we’ve heard throughout.
A common theme heard throughout the record is that of carefully written lyrics referencing the weird world of navigating through your twenties, and the uncertainties and growing pains that come with maturing and growing up. It almost acts as realistic advice for anyone who feels unsure or lost with what to do next.
Even though it might be easy to summarise the album as something calming and occasionally fast and more upbeat, it is so much more than that. Each song has its own unique style and personality, even if minor, and no song sounds the same, especially when different elements of rock come to play – from the mid-00s inspired emo track Freckle, to the 90s grunge-coded Gone For Good, to the moody alternative rock of Overgrown. But of course, other highlights come in the form of the band’s ‘happier’ sounding tracks, even though the lyrics might suggest otherwise, as heard in the pleasant and gentle Hard For Me, for example, or the short but sweet Howl.
The Great Overgrowth is purely a sweet-sounding record that calms the mind and offers the feeling of hope in a realistic way. It acknowledges the pain and the difficulties that come with it, but it offers a promise that things will eventually get better. It’s just a beautiful listening experience that everyone really needs to hear at least once in their life.
Rating: 8/10
The Great Overgrowth is out now via Big Scary Monsters.
Like SUDS on Facebook.