the suffers are back!
Favorite Houston band The Suffers bring the love with gripping new album and single
One of Houston’s most beloved and home-grown musical acts has just announced a bold new album.
Gulf Coast soul band The Suffers, fronted by the charming and charismatic lead singer Kam Franklin, will drop their newest release, It Starts With Love, on June 23, the group announced. The release is available for pre-order here.
Fans of the band that has gained national attention can check out the video for the new song, “Don’t Bother Me,” the first official release from the album put out by Missing Piece Records, here on YouTube.
Though they gained acclaim across the U.S. for a lively, effervescent sound evocative of Gulf Coast vibe, The Suffers are taking a decidedly serious edge on It Starts With Love. The edgy compilation tackles hot-button topics of racism, misogyny and the music industry (always a joy), per a press announcement.
Notably, this album was mixed by Grammy winner Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), who transferred all of the sessions to analog tape (audiophiles are sure to love the product), and mastered by Chris Longwood (Khruangbin, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic).
It Starts With Love was crafted at a time that The Suffers were reinventing themselves — personally and professionally — and so themes of growth and self-acceptance are prevalent.
Franklin added in a statement that the band’s first song, “Don’t Bother Me” is influenced by Buena Vista Social Club, Miami Sound Machine, and Sly and The Family Stone. She also called it “a demand to be left alone by the outside world so that the wildness, fun, mistakes, and freedom that should come with being a young adult can truly be embraced.”
Fueled by buoyant rhythms, signature, muscular horns, and Franklin’s unforgettable vocals, It Starts With Love promises to be a treat for its passionate, longtime supporters.
“I wanted to make a record that sounded like Houston to me,” Franklin explained in the statement. “You’ve got the hard edges and tough exteriors and hip-hop swagger, but then you’ve also got the sounds of the choir and the soulfulness and even a little bit of twang. I wanted to make something beautiful out of hardship.”
