18 months is all it’s taken for Siskin to have gone from here-and-there … to pretty much everywhere. They’ve brought shows, sets, singles and EPs to all four corners, but what you haven’t yet heard from the duo is a fully-fledged album … So, let’s do something about that!
In its fullness, ‘We Are Siskin’ might go down as the perfect long-playing debut; one without a vocal, lyric, arrangement or note even remotely out of place. That’s entirely due to the extraordinary artistic connection shared by Sue McLaren and Suzanne Chesterton. It’s one that saw them define their sound with their very first release and then emphasize it with everyone that’s followed!
At Siskin’s heart lies a kindred sistership, however there’s also an innate ‘oneness’ to the group. A dynamic where both Sue and Suzanne each hold the necessary DJing, singing, songwriting and studio skillset equally. Amongst others, ‘We Are Siskin’ contains the ASOT100-wowing singles ‘Always You’, ‘Let Go’, ‘Villaneve’ and ‘Rest of My Days’, as well as brand new gems, ‘Forever Gold’ and ‘Atari’.
Setting Siskin further apart is the mastered art of studio duality, where progressive texture is initially emphasised over tenacity, before its wonderfully camouflaged floor-shifting elements fully pop on clubbier systems. (Café del Mar up top, Amnesia underneath, if you will!) This has allowed one track after another to cross mightily from radio to clubfloor, (in turn playing a considerable part in turbocharging their behind-decks activities).
More than any other aspect though is the deeply affecting nature of their music – as creative, balanced and introspective as any in 2023. The meaning behind some of Siskin’s lyrics is manifestly clear, with tracks like ‘Fly Away’, ‘Let Go’, ‘Rest Of My Days’, ‘Are We Dreaming’ being as fathomable as they are relatable. However other themes (most notably on ‘Nobody Loves Me’ and ‘Can You Feel It’), are far more nuanced than their titles suggest. Deeper yet, ‘Villaneve’, ‘Atari’, ‘Forever Gold’ and ‘Electric Love’ are outright opaque, imperceptibly encouraging ever-closer reflexion from the listener. ‘We Are Siskin’ though has implication burnt into every word … and that’s ultimately decide if their LP debut is indeed … perfect.
Says Siskin, of their road to the album, “over the past six years, life has pulled us both in so many different directions with family, work commitments and obstacles like the COVID Pandemic and living over 120 miles away from each other, but our strong passion and belief in each other have really propelled us to this point. Since we first met in the greenroom of a trance night back in 2017, never could we ever have imagined that our initial connection would eventually lead to the creation of our debut album and all the laughs, tears and elation we’d have on the way… it’s been a heck of a journey so far and this is only the beginning!”
