By: Cullen Ronan
With 2017 officially over, one of the alternative music scene’s biggest surprises of the prior year came in the form of Sufferer’s long-awaited debut self-titled release.
The quartet, featuring Cory Lockwood (vocals) of A Lot Like Birds, Blake Dahlinger (drums) of I the Mighty, Forrest Wright (vocals) of A Perception and Shane Gann (guitar, vocals) of Hail the Sun, set out to bring to light the struggles of mental illness.
Sufferer’s debut record chronicles the story of a person’s constant fight between anxiety, depression and their own mind. While it was over four years in the making, the record finally hit the shelves in September of 2017, and instantly proved the band may be much more than just a side-project.
The difficulties of recording the album were endless, especially in the mentally taxing nature of writing lyrics dealing so heavily with anxiety and depression, and the fact that the already present challenges of recording were only amplified by each individual member of the band living in separate parts of the country.
The hard-work paid off, however, as the band now finds their self-titled debut record nominated for 2017 album of the year on the official post-hardcore subreddit.
Staying true to the band’s idea of shedding light on mental illnesses, 35 percent of any revenue made from the album will be donated to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
While still enjoying the fruits of the band’s successes, guitarist and the voice of depression on the record, Shane Gann took the time to discuss the inception and future of Sufferer, potential tours, and even upcoming releases for his other band, Hail the Sun.
Check out our full conversation below:
