John Congleton | Parklife DC

John Congleton and The Nighty Nite perform at DC9 on April 27, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Renowned producer John Congleton won a Grammy for producing the fourth studio album by St. Vincent in 2014, and he also produced the latest effort from Suuns, a dark neo-psych group from Montreal. Suuns launched a tour, and John jumped onboard as the opening act, including a stop at DC9 on Wednesday.

Not one to stick to any one thing, John also has been a recording artist, notably as a musician in the Texas band The Paper Chase. He has a new project with his former The Paper Chase bandmate Jason Garner called John Congleton and The Nighty Nite, and the duo released an album, Until the Horror Goes, on April 1 via Fat Possum Records. In concert on Wednesday, they performed songs from the album with John on vocals and guitar and Jason on synthesizer.

Suuns (Photo by Nick Helderman)

Suuns means “zeroes” in Thai, and it’s also the name of neo-psychedelic quartet from Montreal that released their third album Hold/Still last Friday via Secret Canadian.

The last album sees Suuns delivering 11 tracks of cold, austere psychedelia, where words become part of the instrumental mix as singer/guitarist Ben Shemie gives voice to desire. The album thematically centers around sex, Ben said in its press notes — “perhaps not the act specifically, just [themes] of a sexual nature. But there’s also a spiritual undertone that points to another kind of searching.”

The song “Paralyzer,” for example, features pulsating rhythms that mirror the longing expressed in the lyrics. Watch the official music video for “Paralyzer” by Suuns on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuhfu-GTBGQ]

Ben and his bandmates in Suuns — including Joe Yarmush on guitar, Max Henry on synths, and Liam O’Neill on drums –- are touring in support of the new album with a stop at DC9 on Wednesday, April 27.

Interestingly, indie rocker John Congleton, who produced the new Suuns album, also produced acts like St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, and Sleater- Kinney. John is coming along to serve as opener with his own new project The Nighty Nite, which released an album on April 1. Tickets are available online.

Suuns
w/ John Congleton and The Nighty Nite
DC9
Wednesday, April 27
Doors @8:30pm
$12
All ages

Snapshots: John Congleton and The Nighty Nite @ DC9 — 4/27/16

Don’t Miss: Suuns @ DC9, 4/27/16