With Pertinax, Suris — the long-standing creative partnership of Lindsey and David Mackie — deliver an album that feels both timeless and quietly radical. The title means “to persist, stoically,” and that spirit runs through every corner of the record. After decades of writing, recording, and evolving together, the duo now create with a confidence where craft, instinct, and emotional truth meet in rare balance. Suris’s sound has often been compared to Kate Bush, Radiohead, Lorde, Lana Del Rey and Fleetwood Mac, and echoes of those artists weave naturally through the album. Yet Pertinax is unmistakably their own: smooth, atmospheric orchestration layered with something darker and more subversive beneath the surface. Lindsey’s rich, textured vocals carry narratives that feel both intimate and unusual, while Dave’s production gives each track depth without ever over-polishing the edges.
Their long history together shapes the emotional weight of the album. Meeting as students at the University of East Anglia, the Mackies bonded through early gigs in Norwich’s punk and alt-rock circles. Starting off with just a four-track cassette recorder, they built sounds that caught the attention of Ensign Records and later Polygram, only to have life — loss, family, circumstance — re-route their trajectory. That history of resilience and self-sufficiency now feels central to their creative identity, giving Pertinax a sense of maturity untainted by ego.
The album opens with “Mended,” inspired by the Japanese practice of Kintsugi. Written during Covid isolation, it reflects on fragility, repair and acceptance of life’s cracks, treating imperfection as a mark of survival. “Last Train Home” shifts into warmer territory, offering a soft meditation on seeing familiar things with new clarity. Its companion piece, “Now,” urges listeners to pause and dwell in the present instead of chasing distant horizons. Suris also lean into social and political tension. “Eruption” is a sharp, tightly wound critique of those in power, reminding us that democratic change ultimately lies with the people. In “Whole,” a defiant ode to women resisting danger or oppression, a chorus of Lindsey’s female friends — the “Persisters” — joins in, giving the final section a powerful communal lift. Other tracks explore stories that feel deeply human. “Take All She Brings” reflects on the complexity within all of us; “Wayman” tells of a lover returning too late; and “Born to Be With You” captures the ache of a love that refuses to loosen its grip. “Still Life” critiques our obsession with documenting life rather than living it, while “Listen” asks for true presence and attention in a world full of distraction. One of the album’s boldest moments is “Huma,” a cinematic story of a mythical bird escaping confinement. The track is intentionally claustrophobic until its final release, which arrives with a soaring saxophone solo from Felix Flower. It’s a moment that feels like the album taking flight. The closer, “Fugue,” drifts through a sleepless night of fears before arriving at the soft light of dawn, ending the record with hope. Pertinax is the work of two artists who have refined their voice over decades, quietly but persistently. It is elegant without being delicate, experimental without pretension, and emotionally honest without slipping into cliché. Suris have created an album that rewards deep listening and lingers long after the last note fades. If persistence had a soundtrack, this would be it.
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