Susto Stringband tours Sweden, Denmark and UK this August

What began as an unexpected meeting at an Asheville open mic has quickly evolved into one of the most compelling new chapters in Susto founder Justin Osborne’s career. Formed alongside vocalist Clint Roberts, banjoist Helena Rose, and bassist Joey Brown, Susto Stringband finds Osborne reimagining the heart-on-sleeve songwriting of Susto through the warm, earthy lens of Appalachian string music.

Captured on the group’s debut release, Susto Stringband: Volume 1, the collection revisits fan favorites like “Friends, Lovers, Ex Lovers: Whatever” and “Acid Boys” with lush harmonies and rich acoustic arrangements, while also introducing new songs that grapple with love, family, mortality, and transcendence. Recorded at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium Recordings in North Carolina, the album feels both deeply rooted and emotionally untethered — pastoral on the surface, but filled with the uncertainty and longing that has always defined Osborne’s writing.

For Osborne, whose work has long explored what he calls the “condition of the soul,” the project marks something of a return home. Raised in rural South Carolina on gospel, folk, and bluegrass, Susto Stringband brings those early influences full circle with a sound that feels timeless and deeply human.

Following the previously announced festival appearances, Susto Stringband has now added a series of additional headline shows for August 2026, expanding the band’s upcoming run behind Volume 1.