SUSTO, the South Carolinian indie rockers that seemed to really be hitting their stride with their most recent release, 2019’s Ever Since I Lost My Mind, just announced a brand new album and a music video to go with it.
Ahead of the Oct. 29 release of Time in the Sun on New West Records, the band released the video for “Get Down,” a catchy and fun tune with a much darker story behind it, according to lead singer Justin Osborne.
“Although it carries a fun and lighthearted air, the song ‘Get Down’ was actually inspired by a scary time in my life when a close friend was battling substance abuse issues and openly discussing suicide with myself and our larger friend group,” Osborne tells SPIN. “I knew it was a cry for help, but at the same time, I was privately dealing with some of the same issues and felt unable to help because of my own problems. As I began to write the song, I realized that there was hope and even strength in the knowledge that we were both struggling. Although we were coping with mental health separately, it still felt like we were kindred. I eventually took this song to that same friend, and they helped me finish it. Now it feels like we’ve both found our way to a better place mentally and emotionally. The song is like an anthem for finding those people in your life who are struggling like you, then overcoming those struggles together. That person could be a friend, a partner, a family member, or even a stranger. Sometimes we all just need a struggle buddy, and that’s basically what ‘Get Down’ is about.
“The video was really fun to make, and we shot it over the course of two days in Atlanta,” Osborne continues. “There was a whole crew of talented folks coming together to make the video happen, and I’m so proud of how it came out. We wanted to capture the message of the song, in a way that would be visually interesting for folks of all ages. The finished product feels something like a psychedelic kids show, which to me seems spot on for the current era of Susto. Our new album, Time in the Sun, is heavily influenced by two major events in my life: becoming a parent, and also losing my dad. The album reflects these major transitions in my life, and recording it was like therapy for me. Songwriting has always been a way for me to unpack and better understand my own human experience.”
Check out the new video below.
Pre-order the album here.
The 11-track Time in the Sun will also be accompanied by about two dozen tour dates beginning next week in Greenville, South Carolina and ending in December in Atlanta. See the tracklist and tour dates below.
Time in the Sun Tracklist
1. Time, Love & Fun
2. Get Down
3. Summertime
4. God of Death
5. Be Gone from Me
6. Good Right Now
7. Life Is Suffering
8. Resolve It
9. Mother of the World
10. Double Rainbow
11. All Around the World
Susto Tour Dates
August 13 — Greenville, SC — Radio Room
August 14 — Greenville, SC — Radio Room
August 20 — St. Louis, MO — Live in the Sky
August 21 — Maquoketa, IA — Codfish Hollow Barn
September 3 — Bluffton, SC — May River Music Festival
September 4 — Isle of Palms, SC — The Windjammer
September 10 — Athens, GA — Georgia Theatre
September 11 — Savannah, GA — District Live
September 23 — Columbia, SC — The Senate
September 24 — Nashville, TN — Americana Fest
September 25 — Mooresville, NC — Carolina Jubilee
September 28 — Wilmington, NC — Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
September 30 — St. Augustine, FL — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
October 1 — St. Petersburg, FL — Jannus Live
October 31 — Evanston, IL — SPACE
November 2 — Indianapolis, IN — The Hifi
November 4 — Nashville, TN — The Basement East
November 19 — Asheville, NC — Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
November 20 — Charlotte, NC — Neighborhood Theatre
December 4 — Key West, FL — Coast is Clear Music & Arts Festival
December 17— Birmingham, AL — Saturn
December 18 — Atlanta, GA — Terminal West
