‘A faceless man waits for his wife, Outside the nail salon, And when she comes out, he makes her cry, Hell in every bed you lie in,  Hell in everyone you meet’ (Model Actress)

Hailing from Cleveland, Saw You With The Weeds is Suitor’s debut vinyl release.  First impressions are of precisely fashioned, darkly lush post-punk, a more expansive and fully rounded evolution from the band’s cassette-only 2021 debut, Communion.  Hooky, crystalline leads and mournfully chiming melodies lock in with a resolutely resonant rhythm section to richly dramatic effect.

Yet, as you immerse itself, two further striking elements begin to emerge, introducing some intriguing new dynamics.  First, is a searing vocal performance from Emma Shepard.  It segues effortlessly from the laconically nonchalant to the stridently melodic, shrouded throughout in an exuberant 1980s’ new wave sense of theatre.

Secondly, is the band’s willingness to lean into their more abrasive instincts with an unbridled relish, which draw in equal measure on noise punk and post-hardcore influences.  Indeed, this inclination yields some of the album’s most dramatic highlights.  The squalling shards of guitar that fuel the soaring chorus to Model Actress.  The slow burn gothic simmer of Factory.  The cymbal awash, feverishly cathartic escalation of Generator.  The finale to Televangelist, when Shepard simply let’s rip with a spine-tingling velocity.

The densely allusive, bleakly poetical lyrics also add another dimension.  They unfurl as if a film noir narration, one concerned with finding a revitalised resolve among friends and community amid the travails of failed relationships and the daily grind of a fracturing society.  The final touches are added courtesy of production from Sweeping Promises’ Caulfield Schnug, Suitor having struck up a bond with the duo while playing with them a few years back (indeed, Lira Mondal lends backing vocals to a couple of tracks as well).  It adroitly matches the album’s dexterous balancing of sheen and grit with a similar fluidity.