No matter how drastically life may change, tomorrow wipes the slate clean and heralds a new beginning. All of the tumult dissolves into dawn, and everything starts over. SUSTO chronicle seasons of transformation within their distinct, diverse, and dynamic breed of rock ‘n’ roll enlivened in broad strokes of classic songwriting, storytelling and dalliances of sonic unpredictability. The band—led by frontman and songwriter Justin Osborne—explore change physically, emotionally, and spiritually on their fifth full-length LP, MY ENTIRE LIFE.
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“It tells a story of one of the most intense transformations in my entire life,” says Justin. “It feels like closing one chapter and turning the page on the next. There are repercussions and ripples from change that will affect me forever. It’s essentially about my life and the pain and beauty in it.”
There’s a musical buoyancy, a hallmark of SUSTO’s sound, to many of the tracks here, lending a party punch to the opening salvo of “Rock On” and “Mermaid Vampire.” The former is a raucous road warrior confessional-turned-boast (“I get stoned in the mornin’/I start chasing lines/Tell you the truth, I got the microphone blues/But I give it to them every night”), while the latter is a jaunty, light-hearted love song that rides propulsive percussion and a Beck-style postmodern guitar riff. The romantic vibes continue on “Mt. Caroline,” a sweeping indie folk track that grapples with new love emerging from the wreckage of the past, and the trippy exploration of “Optimum Artist.”
These songs sit alongside more nuanced explorations of romantic falling out, including the devastating “Double Stripe” (“Hey we always had a good time/ Until them double striped road lines/Said I would never see you again”) and the ruminative “Rooster” (“I feel like I could die/And do a little bit better”). These songs share a similar tone to “Tina,” a song that paints a portrait of the narrator’s mom dealing with the meth addictions of her two sons.
Despite what seems like disparate themes, there’s a natural through-line that surfaces in how Osborne foregrounds his own position so honestly. The title track also serves as a thesis for that idea. “If life is a canvas, I wanna fill it up/With landscapes and portraits, and brushstrokes of love,” he sings in the second verse, before launching into a true pop anthem of a chorus “Heyooo, there you go/Peace on Earth, I want it though/I can see it now,” it goes, with Osborne stretching out the reverb-drenched syllables beneath an ebullient wash of instrumentation.
Youthful yearning, wizened experience, and still-flickering hope sit side-by-side in a statement of renewed purpose on My Entire Life, making the band feel matured and vital at the same time.
