Sun V Set Portray Piercing Renewal On “Ankle Biter Thorn”
In 2005, David Foster Wallace presented a new spin on the term “rat race,” electing to redefine it as “the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.” Over two decades later, this sentiment feels especially relevant as we constantly chase the feeling of connection and resonance in a marketplace that feels simultaneously infinite and minuscule. Back-and-forth conversations become inane small talk, thought-out videos retreat into short-form sketches, calculated strategy games turn into a march of touches on a screen, and even songs shrink from their structured grace into abbreviated lobotomies.
Though we all succumb to some aspect of this debased voracity, there are still plenty of opportunities to break the cycle. Those basic replies that somehow turn into a lively exchange, the sketches that lead you to find a new great piece of cinema, the apps that somehow teach you subconsciously how to bring skill to games of chance, or even the musicians whose voices stop you in your tracks and claim your full, undivided attention… like Richmond’s own Sun V Set. With the release of a simple live video for the beloved track “Ankle Biter Thorn,” the stirring folk act helps us escape the loop of short-form content and begin to reset our minds to the natural desire for resonance and connection in their full, unabridged glory.
Nestled in the center of Go West Recording, the video finds Sun V Set’s Linnea Morgan sitting solo with just a guitar and a microphone. It’s a far cry from the textural beauty of the group’s recordings, but for anyone who has caught Morgan live over the years, it’s a setup no less powerful. Morgan’s enveloping spirit is a rare marvel, feeling both celestial and arcadian with a tone that reaches deep into the soul, piercing with biting insight or soothing with refreshing inspiration. This clarion voice delivers words that ring out like classic allegories with their esoteric imagery and timeless resonance.
This song, in particular, is a perfect example, with a plea for rebirth dressed in a visceral pain that stunts growth but never impedes it. Like other songs from their catalog, “Ankle Biter Thorn” is steeped in pastoral imagery, though it serves as an active catalyst here, rather than a passive yet charming placeholder in the background. “Now that I’m dropping petals\ And I’m pelted with the rain,” Morgan sings, drawing on the enduring symbolism of these cycles as places of rebirth, but more plainly spoken to shine a light on the turmoil and obstruction they often bring. Even the imagery of prickly thorns is amplified here, moving it away from a clichéd momentary reflex and wince into more of an organic bloodletting, a chance for instinctual renewal. “Oh but I can reframe\ In time I will grow anew,” she continues, observing the rejuvenation ahead while also acknowledging the true cost of the path to get there.
“Ankle Biter Thorn” was the first single from Sun V Set, released officially on January 5, 2026, five years to the date of this new video. Like the video itself, the song was recorded at Go West and became the first track on the band’s 2023 debut record, Curious Wave, an acclaimed record that earned them a nomination for the 2024 Newlin Music Prize. Last year, Sun V Set followed up on that album with the striking single “Those Whose Love Is Missing,” and the group is currently readying a live EP for the near future, which will include audio from this recent “Ankle Biter Thorn” performance.
Watch “Ankle Biter Thorn” below and make sure to follow Sun V Set on social media to stay up-to-date on their next release and future shows.
