If persistence had a soundtrack, Suris might have just written it. The Buckinghamshire duo return with ‘Pertinax’, a thirteen-track art-pop statement that feels fearless, theatrical, and deeply personal all at once.
From the first moments, the album pulls you into a richly imagined world. There’s a sense of drama woven into the arrangements — sweeping pianos, shimmering guitars, and carefully placed synth textures that give the songs both lift and depth. Think the dreamlike eccentricity of Kate Bush colliding with the widescreen emotional colour of Fleetwood Mac, all filtered through Suris’ own unmistakable lens. The result? A record that drifts between alt-pop and indie-rock without ever losing its identity.
What makes Pertinax compelling isn’t just its sonic palette, but its spirit. The title translates to “to persist, stoically,” and that thread runs through the entire project. Themes of endurance, yearning, and emotional resilience surface across the album’s arc, whether in hushed, piano-led ballads or more expansive, boundary-pushing pop moments. Suris don’t just write songs — they build atmospheres. There’s poetry in the lyrics, a kind of narrative depth that gives each track its own shape and shadow.
Behind the music are Lindsey and David Mackie, long-time creative partners whose history together adds another layer to the album’s meaning. From their early days experimenting with a simple four-track recorder to navigating label attention, personal loss, and raising a family, their journey is stitched into the fabric of this release. That shared life experience translates into arrangements that feel intuitive and emotionally aligned — like two artists finishing each other’s thoughts in real time.
With Pertinax, Suris prove that evolution doesn’t mean abandoning your roots. It means leaning into them with confidence, colour, and conviction.
‘Pertinax’ is an art-pop tapestry woven with persistence, poetry, and a refusal to fade quietly
