Justin Osb… Read Full Bio ↴Susto is an American indie-rock band based in Charleston.
Justin Osborne needed a break. He'd been writing music and making albums since he was 15, and by the age of 26, he felt like he was spinning his wheels. He knew he needed a change, so he ended his old band Sequoyah Prep School and moved to Cuba. He thought he might be done with music for a while, but the songs just kept coming.
"I had this idea in my mind that I was going to try and join some kind of Latin American Leftist movement. I wanted to jump off a cliff," Osborne says. "Once I got there I immediately started hanging out with musicians and going to shows. I started showing them the songs from this project that was kind of just an idea in my head.
"They were like, 'man, don't throw away your passport, go home and continue to make music,'" he says. "I was encouraged by them to try again."
Osborne was already writing the songs for what would be SUSTO's 2014 self-titled debut when his producer Wolfgang Zimmerman introduced him to Johnny Delaware, a guitarist and songwriter who had moved to Charleston, South Carolina to make an album with the producer.
SUSTO is a Spanish word referring to a folk illness in Latin America that Osborne learned as anthropology student, meaning “when your soul is separated from your body,” and also roughly translates to a panic attack. For Osborne, the music of SUSTO was something he had to get out into the world.
SUSTO released their debut album independently and toured relentlessly to get the word out. They were an immediate hit in their hometown, packing venues, getting airplay at all the bars and even making a fan of Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell. "I got an e-mail from him, telling me he loved the record and wanted to meet with me and Johnny," he says. "That was actually the day I wrote my professor, and I said, ‘I'm not coming in.’"
The members of the live band that Osborne and Delaware recruited — Corey Campbell (guitar, keys, backing vocals), Jenna Desmond (bass), and Marshall Hudson (drums, percussion) contributed to SUSTO’s new album & I'm Fine Today, which will be released via Caroline. "We just wanted to go further. We started something with the first record, and we want to keep going in that direction," Osborne says of the album, which finds them taking the spacey country rock of their debut into the stratosphere, piling on layers of sighing keyboards, galloping rhythms and frayed, noisy guitar solos atop wistful melodies and lyrics that examine growing up and growing into yourself. “We put the first record out, and we worked hard, and it just feels like a good place to be,” he says, noting that while the first record focused on his own struggles, & I'm Fine Today is more concerned with looking at the world beyond the struggles in your head.
“I’ve learned to appreciate the fact that I just get to be here. It’s all perspective,” he says. “This album is about coming to terms with yourself and feeling okay with your place in the universe."
County Line
Susto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your little mouth was moving just right.
Speaking of when, I burned your granddad's boat shed down at the county line.
My county line ain't far from yours, don't want to lay laws down at your door.
Don't need to waste all these wonder years for a county line.
I drank my fill but I lost my mind, your long blue dress and your wandering eyes.
I've been thinking of when we went stumbling to your house in the middle of the night.
My county line ain't far from yours, don't need to lay laws down at your door.
The lyrics of SUSTO's song "County Line" revolve around a nostalgic love story with a hint of regret. The singer, possibly a young man, recalls a time when he and his lover were reckless and carefree, ignoring the geographical and societal boundaries imposed by their respective counties. He describes the girl's physical details, such as her tanned, bra-clad back in the car's headlights, and her alluring speech. The climax of their youthful rebellion was burning down her grandfather's shed, an act of rebellion that could have severe implications had they been caught. The singer acknowledges the peril of their actions, stating that he doesn't want to bring trouble to her doorstep or risk wasting the valuable years of their youth over a silly county line.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the innocence and vitality of the characters' love, drawing a contrast to the restrictive and oppressive conventions of the society that surrounds them. The verses, on the other hand, focus on the mischievous and daring side of their connection, fueled by alcohol and attraction. Overall, the song conveys a feeling of longing for a time when the characters could be wild and careless without consequence, and a sentiment of regret for the consequences that may have tarnished their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Your bra tan bright in the windshield light.
I noticed that your bra was illuminated by the light coming through the windshield.
Your little mouth was moving just right.
I found the way you were speaking to be attractive and alluring.
Speaking of when, I burned your granddad's boat shed down at the county line.
I remember the time when I accidentally set fire to your grandfather's boat shed on the border of our counties.
My county line ain't far from yours, don't want to lay laws down at your door.
The border between our counties is close, so I don't want to impose my legal jurisdiction on your property.
Don't need to waste all these wonder years for a county line.
We shouldn't let a trivial county border keep us from enjoying our youth and being together.
I drank my fill but I lost my mind, your long blue dress and your wandering eyes.
I had too much to drink and became enamored with you, particularly your alluring blue dress and the way your eyes wandered.
I've been thinking of when we went stumbling to your house in the middle of the night.
I've been reminiscing about the night when we stumbled to your house late at night.
My county line ain't far from yours, don't need to lay laws down at your door.
Once again, I don't want to exert my legal authority over your property simply because of our county borders.
Don't want to waste all these wonder years for a county line.
I value our time together and don't want to let something as insignificant as a county line ruin our relationship.
Contributed by Camilla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.