Sunn O))) (album)

Sunn O)))
A mostly maroon-colored abstract painting by Mark Rothko. Written on the left side, rotated to the right at a ninety-degree angle, is "SP1685 2026" above the band's logo.
Front cover for the North American release
Studio album by
Sunn O)))
ReleasedApril 3, 2026 (2026-04-03)
RecordedJanuary 2025
StudioBear Creek (Woodinville)
Length79:35
LabelSub Pop
Producers
Sunn O))) chronology
Pyroclasts
(2019)		 Sunn O)))
(2026)
Singles from Sunn O)))
  1. "Glory Black"
    Released: January 13, 2026
  2. "Butch's Guns"
    Released: February 19, 2026

Sunn O))) is the tenth studio album by American drone metal band Sunn O))). It was released via Sub Pop Records on April 3, 2026, and is the band's full-length debut with the label.

Background and recording

Sunn O)))—Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley—have released most of their prior material via Anderson's Southern Lord Records.[1] They collaborated with Sub Pop Records for the two-track single "Evil Chuck" / "Ron G. Warrior" in 2023 as part of the Sub Pop Singles Club series. The band officially signed with the label in October 2025 and released the three-track single "Eternity Pillars" / "Raise the Chalice" / "Reverential"; the recordings were made earlier that year with producer Brad Wood at two American studios: Sea Grass (Los Angeles, California) and Bear Creek (Woodinville, Washington).[2] Andserson and Wood had previously collaborated.[3]

Sunn O))) was inspired by, among other things, Is a River Alive? (2025) by Robert Macfarlane, who provided the album's liner notes.[4] O'Malley became a fan of Macfarlane after a friend recommended Mountains of the Mind (2003); O'Malley spoke about why he felt Macfarlane was a good fit for the band: "He expresses walking as a spiritual experience, which it is for me too. [...] In his liner notes for the new album, he writes about standing waves existing simultaneously with flowing water. There's something about the way the sound energy works with our music that I see as liquid, but not liquid, and it is a great metaphor for that."[1] The album was recorded by the band and Wood at Bear Creek in January 2025.[4] The studio (a converted barn)[5] and its surrounding rural environment inspired the music. O'Malley said: "We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it."[4] They later mixed the album at Wood's studio in Southern California.[3]

The album incorporates ambient sounds recorded outside the studio, such as an active stump grinder and the water of a nearby creek. Re-amping was used extensively during the recording process. Speaking about the technique, Wood said: "We opened up these giant doors and the doors to the kitchen leading out into the outside on the left and right side of the studio and just blasted their music out, and then set up microphones a couple hundred yards away from each other—like the world's largest stereo array of room mikes." To obtain a massive guitar sound, in contrast with what journalist Hank Shteamer describes as the typical process of recording guitars (one microphone for each four-speaker cabinet), Wood used a microphone for each speaker across three cabinets; he estimated that every track on the album used at least 130 audio tracks of guitar. Anderson estimated the upper limit to be 180. The close-knit sessions had no musical collaborators; the band eschewed its usual method of inviting guest musicians onto its albums, and as such, Sunn O))) is the band's first album where only the duo perform, with each playing bass, guitar, piano, and synthesizer.[5]

O'Malley described it as "a very documentary record in terms of the sound detail captured." Elaborating on their routines during the sessions, Anderson said: "It became this sort of ritual or routine of waking up in the morning, having a coffee together, and then going out and exploring and hiking." The duo, who both have homes in Southern California, considered leaving Bear Creek and returning to California after two days when the general area of their homes (including Anderson's family) were evacuated due to the Californian wildfires at the time; although none of his loved ones or his home were ultimately harmed, Anderson said that the incident "really put life in perspective. We decided to really enjoy it, to squeeze every single drop out of the recording session that we possibly could. [...] There's an intensity to the music, and that's where it comes from."[1]

Marketing

The album was announced with a Sub Pop press release on January 13, 2026, coinciding with the lead single "Glory Black". The album's front and back covers, which are swapped on the European edition, each feature a painting by American abstract painter Mark Rothko.[4] The second single, "Butch's Guns", was released on February 19, 2026. To support the album, the band played a thirty-three-concert tour of Europe and North America from March 30, 2026, to July 7, 2026.[6] In mid-July, after the tour's end, it was announced that the band would be going on another tour in support of the album: twenty-five North American concerts from October 2, 2026, to November 1, 2026.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year79/100[8]
Any Decent Music7.7/10[9]
Metacritic85/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[11]
Clash8/10[12]
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[13]
Kerrang!4/5[14]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[15]
MojoStarStarStarStar[16]
MusicOMHStarStarStarStarHalf star[17]
PasteB[18]
Pitchfork8.0/10[19]
Record CollectorStarStarStarStar[20]

On Album of the Year, the album has an average score of 79 out of 100 from twenty critic scores.[8] Any Decent Music gave it a weighted average[21] score of 7.7 out of 10 from sixteen critic scores.[9] According to Metacritic, it received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score[22] of 85 out of 100 from twenty critic scores.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley.

No.TitleLength
1."XXANN"18:21
2."Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?"7:32
3."Butch's Guns"14:12
4."Mindrolling"18:12
5."Everett Moses"10:53
6."Glory Black"10:25
Total length:79:35

Personnel

These credits have been adapted from a Sub Pop press release,[4] a New York Times interview,[5] and music streaming services.[23][24]

Sunn O)))

Other

Charts

Chart performance for Sunn O)))
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 75
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[26]60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[27]30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[28]170
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[29] 1
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[30] 105
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[31] 26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32]36
German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] 9
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 8
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[35]10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36]60
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[37] 11
UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[38]5
UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[39]2
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[40] 29

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bolton, Tom (April 14, 2026). "Greg Anderson & Stephen O'Malley of SunnO))) on Hiking". The Quietus. Archived from the original on April 14, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sunn O))) sign to Sub Pop, announce new 12-inch single". Treble. October 14, 2025. Archived from the original on October 31, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  3. 1 2 O'Malley, Stephen (June 22, 2026). "Glory Black: In Conversation with Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley" (Written article). Interviewed by Simon Kirk. Sun 13. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gobeli, Abbie (January 13, 2026). "Sub Pop To Release sunn O)))'s Self-Titled New Album Worldwide On Friday, April 3rd, 2026" (Press release). Sub Pop Records. Archived from the original on April 1, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Shteamer, Hank (January 13, 2026). "130 Tracks of Guitar Per Song? Sunn O))) Is Back, and Going Big". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. eISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved April 1, 2026. Republished in print: The New York Times, New York edition; January 14, 2026, Section C, p. 4; ISSN 0362-4331.
  6. ↑ Lindert, Hattie (February 19, 2026). "Sunn O))) Share New Song "Butch's Guns," Add European Tour Dates". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ Mickles, Kiana (July 15, 2026). "Sunn O))) Line Up North American Tour". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on July 16, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Sunn O))) - sunn O))) - Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Sunn O))) by Sunn O))) reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Sunn O)))". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ Simpson, Paul (April 3, 2026). "Sunn O))) - Sunn O)))". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Weaver, David (April 2, 2026). "SUNN O))) – SUNN O)))". Clash. ISSN 1743-0801. Archived from the original on April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (April 2, 2026). "Sunn O))): Sunn O))) review – a seismic return to drone metal's elemental core". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ Thomas, Olly (April 1, 2026). "Album review: Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent. ISSN 0262-6624. OCLC 32328241. Archived from the original on April 1, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  15. ↑ Oinonen, Janne (April 2, 2026). "SUNN O))): SUNN O))) review - hypnotic texture and enriching detail [alternate title: SUNN O)))'s self-titled relentlessly pummels]". The Line of Best Fit. ISSN 2754-7469. Archived from the original on April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ Male, Andrew (March 30, 2026) [in print: March 12, 2026]. "Sunn O))) Reviewed: An awesome colossus of sound". Mojo. No. 390 (May 2026). London, United Kingdom: Bauer Media Group. p. 82. ISSN 1351-0193. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ Shepherd, Sam (April 2, 2026). "Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))". MusicOMH. ISSN 2516-6220. Archived from the original on April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ Sharples, Grant (March 31, 2026). "Sunn O))) is a testament to nature's resilience". Paste. Paste Media Group. ISSN 1540-3106. OCLC 49937508. Archived from the original on March 31, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  19. ↑ Bromfield, Daniel (April 4, 2026). "Sunn O))): Sunn O)))". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on April 4, 2026. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  20. ↑ McIver, Joel (March 19, 2026). "Sunn O))) | Sunn O)))". Record Collector. No. 582 (April 2026). London, United Kingdom: Diamond Publishing. p. 109. ISSN 0261-250X.
  21. ↑ "Recent music reviews & album reviews by Any Decent Music". Any Decent Music. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  22. ↑ "About Us". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on July 23, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  23. ↑ "sunn O))) - Album by sunn O)))". Apple Music. Apple. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  24. ↑ "sunn O))) / Sunn O))) / Credits". Tidal. Block. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  25. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 April 2026". The ARIA Report. No. 1884. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 13, 2026. p. 6.
  26. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Lista prodaje 18. tjedan 2026" [Sales list week 18, 2026] (in Croatian). HDU. May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Top Albums Physiques (Semaine du 10 avril 2026)" (in French). Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Top Rock & Metal Albums (Semaine du 10 avril 2026)" (in French). Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Rock/Metal-Charts – 10 April 2026" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 15" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 10/4/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Sunn O))) – Sunn O)))". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Official Albums Sales Chart on 10/4/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 10/4/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 10/4/2026 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Top Album Sales: Week of April 18, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
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