“Doomglaze” quartet Sugar Horse have always kept things interesting, constantly being unpredictable and unrestrained. Last year’s ‘Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico’ EP saw them explore the A note across six tracks. Now the UK group have announced a new full-length, ‘Grand Scheme Of Things’, and with it, its first single – ‘New Dead Elvis’.
With its ominous opening, chugging bass, and Ashley Tubb’s distorted vocals, ‘New Dead Elvis’ ebbs and flows with a hint of psychedelia. Complemented by an equally twisted video, the track’s rigid chorus confidently leans into their heavier side, and then skyrockets in the middle, before suddenly pulling you back. The end result is an enticing teaser of Sugar Horse‘s next album.
However as the band stated, the track hints at them abandoning their unrestrained ethos on ‘Grand Scheme Of Things’. “This album was intended to be a sideways step. A move away from the kind of thing that is expected of us… if anything is at all. What I mean by that, is the songs are more direct. They take a much shorter amount of time to “get to the point”. We also wanted to make this one noticeably “less Metal. While we love being a bit boneheaded and confrontational, we definitely wanted to explore the more melodic, song-based side of the band’s sound.”
In short, ‘Grand Scheme Of Things’ sees Sugar Horse continuing to be different by refusing to do what you’d expect them to do. Rather than rest on their laurels, they admit they’d “prefer to make it difficult and take the long route.”
Lyrically, ‘New Dead Elvis’ captures Sugar Horse in a thought-provoking mood, taking aim at the martyrism of late celebrities. “This song is about reflecting on celebrity culture around death and its glorification, immediately following the death of my father. There is a romanticisation of “the tortured artist” or “the biblical hedonist” that follows celebrity and music culture around that I find pretty appalling,” explains Ashley Tubb.
“It’s something that I believe is responsible for the deaths of a large number of some of the most profoundly talented people that have ever graced this miserable planet and it should be prevented as soon as possible… Alas, the mob want their blood and I fear it shall persist until the sun swallows us.”
Although it’s quite a wait until ‘Grand Scheme Of Things’ sees the light of day in October, we’re fully on board to see what weird and wonderful journey Sugar Horse will be taking on in the coming months.
1. The Grand Scheme of Things2. The Shape of ASMR to Come
3. Corpsing
4. Mulletproof
5. Spit Beach
6. New Dead Elvis
7. Jefferson Aeroplane Over the Sea
8. Office Job Simulator
9. Space Tourist
Pre-order/Pre-save here
‘Grand Scheme Of Things’ by Sugar Horse is released on October 4th on Pelagic Records.
Find Sugar Horse on: Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Linktr.ee
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