Sour Widows would one day like to be remembered as the best band of all time. Judging from the scope and execution of their full-length debut, Revival Of A Friend, it truly sounds like that’s the vibe they’re going for. But this collection of 10 songs don’t feel ambitious to the point of grandiloquence; these are lived-in yet commanding tunes that exude the camaraderie of a tight-knit band.
Singer-songwriters Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson, plus drummer Max Edelman, are wonderfully in sync. After the Bay Area indie rock trio broke through with a pair of EPs in 2020 and 2021, as well as a couple of singles following those EPs, Sour Widows were primed for something bigger. From the scuzzy travelogue “I-90” to the closing diptych “Staring Into Heaven/Shining,” Revival Of A Friend is one of the finest debuts of 2024.
Ahead of the record’s release this Friday, the band sat down with Uproxx to talk about Fergie’s performance of the national anthem, Flea, and cryptocurrency in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Susanna: Friendship, epic, rock ‘n’ roll, memory.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Susanna: As the best band of all time.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Max: It’s hard to pick one person. Radiohead is a big influence on all of us and always has been.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Max: The best meal we ever had on tour was Terry Black’s BBQ in Austin.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Max: My Bloody Valentine.
What song never fails to make you emotional?
Maia: The national anthem as sung by Fergie.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Maia: 1970s Stratocaster.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Maia: An unfinished building in the woods in Asheville.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform and what’s the city you hope to perform in for the first time?
Susanna: Orlando was epic. We hope to play in London and Barcelona.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Max: Invest in cryptocurrency.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Susanna: Juggling.
If you had a million dollars to donate to charity, what cause would you support and why?
Susanna: Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund because free Palestine from the river to the sea.
What are your thoughts about AI and the future of music?
Maia: AI is bad for planet earth. It’s bad. It’s our worst nightmare and a waste of our time. Edgelord bullsh*t. Going to be used to surveil and control us even more.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location it would be held.
Maia: Emperor, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Prince, Korn. One day would be held at Pompeii, the next day at Stonehenge, and then the third day would be at the Pyramids of Giza.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on social media?
Maia: Flea.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Maia: We have matching tattoos of the Buc-ees mascot because he’s done so much for us.
What is your pre-show ritual?
Maia: We stand in a circle and say “Play for your lives.”
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Maia: Betty Boop.
You have a month off and the resources to take a dream vacation. Where are you going and who is coming with you?
Susanna: We are going to Greece and we’re taking all our loved ones and pets.
What is your biggest fear?
Max: Shark attack.
Revival Of A Friend is out 6/28 via Exploding In Sound Records. Find more information here.