The Suffers - “How Do We Heal” (w/ Son Little & Bryce The Third)

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Lake Street Dive, Mavis Staples

It’s been six years since The Suffers last record Everything Here and they just released one of the most powerful songs in their catalog, a reckoning with white supremacy and the emotional trauma carried over generation to generation. “How Do We Heal”, a collaboration with Son Little and Bryce The Third, is crushing in its lyrics of tragedy, a tone that is matched with spacious, gospel melodies and bluesy guitar and piano. It puts a different lens on The Suffers’ music, a catalog that is otherwise fun and basic in classic soul, R&B, and funk forms. It’s worth noting that The Suffers are a killer live band and balancing light and serious is a great space for the seven-piece Houston band as they evolve from their throwback roots. The Suffers close out a TBD showcase at Augustine on Thursday night. (Kevin McStravick)