SUSTO Announces Live Album 'Rogue Acoustic'

Today, SUSTO announced their new live album Rogue Acoustic, out June 4 via Acid Boys/Missing Piece Records. The album was recorded in February of 2020 at The Royal American in their hometown of Charleston, SC. The band has also shared the first single and video "Hard Drugs" - originally released on SUSTO's 2017 album & I'm Fine Today, both the song and video feature SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne performing alongside Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses. Along with live versions of original SUSTO material, Rogue Acoustic includes covers of The Rolling Stones' classic "Dead Flowers" and Green Day's timeless "Good Riddance."

"The live recording of Rogue Acoustic was meant to capture the strange energy of playing to a Friday night crowd at a packed bar, with just an acoustic guitar and vocals," says Justin Osborne. "I didn't realize until a few months later just how easily that kind of raw energy of the crowd could disappear from my life. I'm happy to be releasing this album now, with the hope that soon we'll be back to a world where moments like this can happen again."

Following Rogue Acoustic's release, SUSTO will head out on a 10-date tour through the Southeast US, kicking off with a return to The Royal American in Charleston, SC on June 10th. All shows are at limited capacity and adherent to local COVID-19 guidelines, tickets are on sale now [link].

SUSTO has made a name for themselves through frequent touring and performances at major U.S. festivals including Hangout, Austin City Limits, Stagecoach, AmericanaFest, Pickathon and Hopscotch. The band has opened for The Lumineers, Band of Horses, and The Head and The Heart. Their previous albums have received praise from Consequence, Paste, and Rolling Stone, who described their songs as "serenely laid back, with gentle instrumentation and thoughtful vocals inviting the listener to step out of their daily grind and into more intentional headspace."

Osborne first began writing songs as a teen in South Carolina, performing with numerous bands before forming SUSTO. During a self-imposed hiatus, he moved to Havana, Cuba and befriended local musicians who encouraged and inspired him to start writing music again. "It was a weird moment. I just had to finally quit keeping one foot out of music and dive in," he explains. The band's name, SUSTO, is derived from a Latin American term that can be roughly translated as "panic attack." "That deep fright was something I was experiencing, and songwriting felt like it was helping me cure it," adds Osborne. "I can lose my mind on stage sometimes - I will break down and cry or have to keep myself from doing it - I just feel so incredibly lucky."

Photo Credit: Mia Al-Taher