“Song Holiday,” the opening track of Sugar Glyder’s most recently self-released EP, Lovers at Lightspeed, has a creepy ’80s theatrical intro that quickly fractures into a smooth late ’90s synthesized Brandon Boyd-esque [Incubus] vocal paired with a catchy riff and echoing crowd participation hidden somewhere in the background. So, initially, Sugar Glyder has a lot going on, all at once.
After the sellable “Song Holiday,” they sweetly tinkle and coax us into “Ocean, I Love You,” the sound a little more emo and math rock. Luckily, I am a sucker for earnest, slightly-cheesy, aquatic themed lyrics: “I will pretend those fins are dolphins and swim to you! And as a boy I would discover, the only way that I feel safe, I run away…” “How can I love you? But where have you gone to… Now?” “Kept in my mind and pulled apart, I slept beside you head and heart. I’m seized the day and leave the dark. But when you call on me it all falls on me…”
This unsigned Charlotte-based indie rock band, currently being scouted by DC Metro label ORG Music, possesses a surprising California lightness that resonates with reverb. Sugar Glyder is unique, self-directed and ambitious, touring non-stop in the southeast and playing over 200 shows in 2010. They are willing to do the work and have nailed down a marketable sound with this year’s EP release.
If a record label only hears a few seconds of their album, I would suggest the first 30 of “Deep Into Summer.” It’s fun and sounds like a West Coast anthem with an innocent chorus, “Deep into summer! We have each other! I don’t suppose it’s crossed your mind that I am yours and you are mine!” If I press mute on my television, mid-scene in any film, I can hear “8” (track #5) on the soundtrack. It has a good baseline and a Jazz/R&B feel to it; it may not have EVERYthing but it works. (Or maybe it’s just that sweet “wah-wah pedal.”)
Creepy side note: “One More Snow” has a vocal hint of Crash Test Dummies’ “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.”
I have not had the chance to hear them live, but from a reliable source at SXSW, “[Sugar Glyder] were pretty great live. They do some really cool stuff visually and their sound is tight. Sounds really good especially considering all of the things they have going on.” They are touring “down south” for now, but I am sure their popularity will pick up after this album’s brief tour.
Give Sugar Glyder a listen if you miss Incubus, Velveteen, or if you are craving a new slant on the ever-growing surfer indie rock genre, e.g., Surfer Blood.
Leah Henry is a weekly columnist for The Vinyl District, offering us music, reviews, and ephemera every Tuesday in “Package Deal.”
