Suzzallo - "The Quiet Year"
THIS ITEM IS A PRE-ORDER, ITEM IS EXPECTED TO SHIP ON OR BEFORE MAY 2ND, 2025.
Suzzallo (pronounced Sue-zahh-Low) is a new Seattle-based rock band fronted by Rocky Votolato. After the devastating loss of his child in a tragic car accident, Votolato created an entire new world inside of music that transmutes extreme grief into something healing and beautiful. The result is Suzzallo’s debut album, The Quiet Year, an explosive eulogy of fuzzed-out, ‘90s inspired cath-rock songs that are as anthemic as they are cathartic.
Suzzallo is somewhat of a return to form for Votolato. Primarily known for his solo career, with nine albums that showcase his knack for intimate, acoustic-based indie folk, Votolato started out playing in louder bands, like Waxwing, who gained an underground cult following in the mid-2000s Pacific Northwest punk and hardcore scene. Sonically, Suzzallo taps into that same spirit: blistering guitars, soaring choruses, and poignant impactful lyrics, but with a volume and fervent intensity that far surpasses any of Votolato’s previous work.
Describing the songwriting process Votolato says, “This kind of personal tragedy rearranges everything about you as a human and artist. I needed a new channel to express what I was going through and the only thing that made any sense to me were the loudest most distorted guitar sounds I could find. I’m so grateful for the way creating art has helped me process my grief and heal, and I hope these songs can bring some catharsis and comfort to others now as well.” The songs on The Quiet Year confront the shattering weight of grief head on, while also revealing an uplifting strength and determination to carry on beneath it – not so much a reinvention as a reincarnation.
To make The Quiet Year, Votolato was joined by a team of friends and collaborators. Suzzallo’s lineup was rounded out by bassist Steve Bonnell (Schoolyard Heroes) and drummer Rudy Gajadhar (Waxwing), along with legendary producer John Goodmanson (Unwound, The Blood Brothers, Sleater-Kinney) who they recruited to record the album at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. Votolato’s longtime friend Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service is even featured on several songs, lending his signature vocals to beautifully placed harmonies, along with performing electric guitar, bass 6, and piano.
PRESSING INFROMATION:
Deluxe Gatefold Edition | White Mix Marble - TSR Exclusive x 100
Standard Edition | Clear w/Red & Black Smoke - TSR Exclusive x 100
Standard Edition | Red Transparent w/Blue & White Marble - Retail x 300
Standard Edition | Citrine - US-Retail x 300
CD | Digi Sleeve
All sleeves (vinyl/CD) come with a die-cut front cover
180 gram vinyl
2 sided insert + printed inner sleeves
Resealable poly sleeves
TRACK LISTING:
01. River
02. The Destroyer
03. Constellations
04. Tsunami Waves
05. Star String Radio
06. We Are The Clouds
07. Time Machine
08. Magical Thinking
09. Shattered Stars
10. Broken Dragon Wings
11. Eulogy
TSR095