Sonsombre at Stimulate at the Delancey

Brandon Pybus

Born in Dothan, Alabama, a 10-year-old Brandon Pybus started playing metal and punk covers with his brother. In 1991, relocated in northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Pybus began playing in metal and gothic bands while simultaneously piloting several solo projects. He started the solo project that would become Sonsombre (from the French words "son" and "sombre," loosely translating as "it is dark") by experimenting with gothic concepts in 2016. Pulled in other directions, he put aside Sonsombre for two years and completed the debut album in 2018. Pybus released the third and most recent Sonsombre album, One Thousand Graves, on January 21, 2020.

For tonight's Stimulate party at the Delancey, Sonsombre grew into a trio with the addition of guitarist Dave "Bu" Butry and synthesizer player/programmer Charity Bonney (whose instruments were situated in a casket). Sonsombre evoked the retro sound and feel of new wave and gothic rock, with bellowing, macabre vocals in the forefront and a wash of pulsing electronics and stinging guitar leads supporting from behind. Pybus punctuated the dark lyrics by singing with an understated angst, sometimes unaffected and other times writhing in inner turmoil. The 12-song setlist featured three songs from the new album, and these songs fit well into the overall aural aesthetic of the band's performance and of the gothic-inspired ethos of Stimulate parties. The challenge for Sonsombre now is to break beyond the underground goth circuit to a wider alternative audience.

Setlist:

1. The Future Is Black
2. Lights Out
3. One Way Out of Heaven
4. Night Child
5. Slumber
6. Fire
7. A Dance by the Graves
8. Between
9. Coming for You
10. Nocturnal
11. Matte Black
12. Fear