There’s a quiet kind of confidence running through Pertinax, the new album from High Wycombe duo Suris. It doesn’t come kicking down the door demanding your attention – it glides in, sure of its footing, trusting you’ll lean closer to catch the details. And you should, because this record is full of them.
Formed by Lindsey and David Mackie, Suris operate in their own little sonic world – somewhere between the spectral art-rock of Kate Bush and the intricate melancholy of Radiohead, with a glimmer of Fleetwood Mac’s melodic warmth for good measure. Lindsey’s voice, equal parts velvet and voltage, sits at the heart of it all – a storyteller’s voice, textured and fearless, wrapping around lyrics that are equal parts beauty and unease.
Opener “Mended” is a slow bloom, built on piano and atmosphere. It’s the kind of track that doesn’t rush to impress – instead, it builds trust. You can feel David’s production choices straight away: detailed, patient, not afraid of silence. “Last Train Home” brings a bit more movement, a subtle ache that grows with every line. There’s a restless energy under the calm, the sound of two musicians holding something heavy but refusing to drop it.
“Now” and “Eruption” are where things get cinematic. “Now” stretches out into widescreen territory, while “Eruption” simmers and then bursts, all shimmering piano and tightly-wound tension. You can hear the Radiohead influence peeking through – not in imitation, but in the way Suris build emotional architecture out of small, precise details.
The centre of the record – “Whole,” “Take All She Brings,” and “Huma” – shows off their range. “Whole” feels like dusk falling, wistful and warm, while “Huma” is ghostly and atmospheric, the vocals drifting like mist across the mix. There’s a strong sense of mood across the album, the kind that makes you want to play it from start to finish rather than shuffle it into playlists.
“Still Life” and “Wayman” strip things back and let the intimacy through. You can almost picture the room they were recorded in – dim lights, cables everywhere, a sense of creative trust between them. It’s a rare kind of chemistry.
Then comes “Armour of Love,” a clear highlight for me and the most immediate cut here. It’s dream-pop in spirit but carried by something tougher underneath – a heartbeat that feels human rather than digital. “Listen” slows things down again, almost fragile in delivery, as if the album itself is exhaling before the finish line.
The closing pair “Born To Be With You” and “Fugue” round things off with style and precision. “Born…” feels timeless, a subtle nod to that 70s melodic craft they do so well, while “Fugue” is hypnotic and unresolved – the kind of track that leaves you staring into space long after it ends.
If there’s a criticism, it’s that Pertinax sometimes plays it a little too smooth. The polish, while impressive, can occasionally dull the edges – you find yourself craving just one moment of raw chaos, a crack in the glass. But that’s nit-picking a record that clearly knows exactly what it wants to be.
Suris have made something refined, cinematic and quietly subversive – an album that whispers rather than shouts, but hits all the harder for it. Pertinax is the latest album from a band already comfortable in their own world. The rest of us are just lucky to be invited in.
FOLLOW THE BAND HERE
MORE REVIEWS FROM RGM HERE