Stillsuit

Stillsuit working on first new music since the '90s

Queens post-hardcore band Stillsuit were only around for one EP (1995’s Green Spock Ears) and one full-length (1996’s At the Speed of Light) in the mid ’90s before breaking up, but they had a clear influence on a handful of the post-hardcore bands who hit it big a few years later, including Glassjaw who Stillsuit’s Manuel Carrero went on to play bass for. (He also played in later-period lineups of Burn and Saves The Day.) After a very long hiatus, Stillsuit finally reunited in 2018 and they’ve continued to play local shows — maybe you’ve caught them with Errortype:11, Snapcase offshoot Vault, or Incendiary. I admittedly haven’t seen them play yet, but I’ve watched some pro-shot videos of their reunion shows and they sound killer and it looks like the crowds are very much still into them. And in even more exciting news, it looks like they’re not just reliving the past but gearing up for new music too. In late July, they posted photos from the studio, and just last Friday they tweeted, “Went into [rehearsals] this week, came out with two songs.” They later added that one of them was based on music written as an At the Speed of Light b-side and the other was entirely new.

These updates follow frontman Julian Vasquez talking to No Echo back in April about the band’s return, plans for the future, and the possibility of new music. Back then he said new music was just “all talk,” but it seems like it’s continuing to become a reality. Here’s an excerpt from that interview:

When we decided to play this show, we went into rehearsals with the goal of just having a great performance and to have fun. There was no immediate plan. During rehearsals we would have discussions about what we all feel as a whole on moving forward and to what capacity. We would discuss who we would do any future performances with, how have other bands been received during their so called “reunions,” and where we were all at in our personal lives. Everytime we would get together, it felt good just playing music together. Before this show was even in the cards, [guitarist] Orlando [Arce] and I would get together every now and then and discuss writing new music in general just to be creative.

Once we performed, it just sparked an interest to continue jamming. We talked about a new Stillsuit EP, featuring B-sides from At the Speed of Light, which would feature three songs from that era in which were never recorded. We discussed two songs Orlando and I wrote after Stillsuit split and rewriting them with [bassist] Manny [Carrero] and Dimi [Douvas]. Again, all talk.

Julian later added:

After [our April 2019 show at Brooklyn Bazaar], it is important to know that we as a band are one to look and move forward. We plan on just getting together, continue to write and record. For any future performances, we just want to play new music, no more looking back.

Our fingers are crossed that we’ll be hearing new music soon! And hopefully more shows will be added — stay tuned.

While you wait, watch videos of Stillsuit’s four most recent shows — Saint Vitus on 7/3/19, Brooklyn Bazaar on 4/13/19, Saint Vitus on 9/20/18, and their once-final show at the now-closed Coney Island High on 3/8/98 — below.

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