Funeral Suits

Nearly 10 years ago I was a recent college grad living in New York City looking for a summer sublet. My lease was about to end and I still needed the summer to wrap up a project I was working on before moving to London in the fall. A friend suggested I live with him and his friends in Brooklyn Heights. I liked the apartment and found my roommates to be really nice guys. They had been going to college but left school to devote time to their band. After moving in, I started listening to their album Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished and it was the most brilliant music I've ever heard. It was the debut album of Animal Collective. The Strokes had become hugely popular around that time and I admired my housemates for sticking to their more experimental sound rather than jumping on the band wagon of adapting a sound that's more mainstream and easily accessible to a Top 40 radio station. Not that I don't love The Strokes, it was exciting to discover a band with such a unique sound as Animal Collective.

I've never had the same excitement for a band until I discovered The Funeral Suits at last year's SXSW. I caught the end of their live show and it blew me away. Unable to find a cab, I found myself suffering through Austin heat and walking a few miles to catch their second show that day. Since then, I've been eagerly awaiting their debut album Lily of the Valley. Poppy and fun, All Those Friendly People had been my favorite single. After listening to the album, which was finally released this month, their more slow and eclectic songs such as "Hands Down By Your Side" and the closing "I Still Love High" are simply stunning. This band has an ever evolving sound and are destined to reach the ranks of their producer Stephen Street's past acts such as Blur and The Smiths. Just as Animal Collective continued on an experimental path, I hope The Funeral Suits do the same as they craft a pioneering sound that's bound to influence and inspire. - Huffington Post

The Funeral Suits launched their second EP Eye Spy with a show in Academy 2 recently. The release follows on from lauded debut 'Oh Dear'. Having supported Franz Ferdinand on their nationwide tour earlier in the year and wowed the crowds on the IMRO showcase tour, the buzz continues to grow! Ones to watch..... ROISIN DWYER June 3rd 2009 - Hotpress

With a sound that takes all the best bits from The cure, Arcade fire, and The Cribs to breathe new life into indie-pop's festering corpse, The Funeral Suits are a band that, in Whitnail's unfading words, are sure to "liven all you stiffs up a bit".................... if the skuzzy, shimmering and stompy lead single 'Black Lemonade' is the kind of din we can expect when armageddon rolls round, then bring it on! - The Limerick Independent

Steve Lamacq of BBC radio 1 chose Black Lemonade as one of his top 60 records of 2008 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/innewmusicwetrust/stevelamacq/top60.shtml - BBC radio 1

The Funeral Suits deliver a fresh and frantic quartet of songs on their latest e.p Eye Spy. Opener ‘Start of the End’ kicks off with a snappy drum line and a slow burning intro with clear, smoky vocals, backed with some tasty synth work which descends into an all in rock out. Good start. ‘Helsinki’ skips the gentle intro and gets straight down to business led by a great guitar line. ‘Dani is Karl’ hits out with guitar and frenetic drums and over the phone style vocals, another tight tune. Final song ‘Acidhappy’ takes a turn from what preceeds it, with more gentle guitar riffs complimenting melodic vocals and a gently driving four four beat. Keep listening, this 24 minutes opus does descend into some sort of trip. Great e.p. Can’t wait to catch these guys live. - Limerick Event guide (July 2009)

The opening strains of this DubLim trio's EP, a simple mesh of clacking drums and from-the-timmy-pit vocals, promises an entire world of ear-pleasing hedonism. Before these Siren's calls beckon you to their island, however, there's a whole sea of jagged rocks to navigate. Here is a band both indebted to, and rejectful of British indie, trying to temper it with American milieu (Yo La Tango and their myriad descendants), only barely escaping on the right side of Editors. Almost inspired, almost godawful, completely compelling. - Totally Dublin

Dublin three-piece Funeral Suits are a fascinating way to finish our weekend. Having taken seemingly forever to set up, they strike coy poses and much dangling of their fringes, suggesting much close-inspection of the stage and their shoes. Their set begins very slowly too but, as it progresses, it’s clear there’s a lot of magic going on in their songs. Draped in sexy synths, distorted guitar and brilliantly robust drumming, there’s a palpable realisation that something beautiful is happening – we’re not the only ones who seem to be saying “wow”. The real beauty of these songs is that, in terms of influence, they don’t have a recognisable starting point, making their melodic journey all the more joyful to join in. This is a band whose sound and assurance suggest they’re already earmarked for a great deal of future success. - State Magazine

It's hard to pinpoint what makes Funeral Suits such a remarkable force, but i'm going to put it down to the adorable meowing, giddy synths and some very heroic meandering alt-rock - at this rate they are serious contenders for homegrown performers of the year - Hotpress Magazine

The second EP from The Funeral Suits begins with Start Of The End, which starts all subdued, edging its way in before exploding into a maelstrom of crazed vocals and a storm of instruments. The drums lead a way through the electrical storm and what’s left is something akin to a melodic thrash. Helsinki is much more formulaic, hurtling skinny guitars and yelping vocals. Like the Wombats and their ilk, its good, but been done before. Dani Is Karl rumbles away like a good ‘un and is a mysteriously spooked piece of dark rock. Acidhappy takes a better turn, going all backwoods on us, being a lovely folk thing with a fuzzy background noise. If you love any of the new breed of ‘back to the earth’ bands, you’ll love this track. - Russell Reviews Blog

Oh Dear' the debut EP from Funeral Suits included the track Black Lemonade which is a great tune. 'Eye Spy' has the difficult task of trying to better or equal the quality of the debut. The lead tune 'Start of the End' has a long intro before it crashes into a full band indie rock sound. There's an almost apocalyptic feel from the guitar chords and lyrics here. Just as I was getting into the industrial sound of the track it ends. 'Helsinki' has a near perfect guitar rift and strong vocals. 'Dani is Karl' is the hardest track on the EP with a booming bassline and crashing drums. 'Acid Happy' has acoustic rifts over guitar soundscapes in the style of Yo La Tengo's best tunes. Overall the vocals sound great, the tunes have great melodies and has an indie rock style somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and TV on the Radio.

- 2 U I bestow blog

Eye Spy is the second EP from Dublin based band Funeral Suits. Indie-punk, edgy and tight, Funeral Suits are destined for great things. 'Start of the End', begins melancholic and stark and descends into a mock trash electro metal type beat with an industrial sounding edge. 'Helsinki' fashions a repetitive guitar riff that will be buzzing around yours heads for days and strong vocals, this track could well be the next big track on the indie scene. 'Dani is Karl' features a harder sound, distorted vocals and crashing cymbals demonstrating that the Funeral Suits are more than just a generic indie band. 'Acidhappy' sounds like the perfect accompaniment to renewing faith in humanity, even if it is doused in acid. It has a lively walking melody and hazy guitar melodies accompanied by echoed, layered vocals, sounds like the song that's always stuck in your head but never vocalized. An incredibly lively and original EP from Funeral Suits and another great band on the Irish Music Scene. - Crude magazine