Sugarcane draws you in with the sugar sweet exotic aroma of its Caribbean bossa nova but then spikes the punch with the dark kick of its narrative and lyricism. The song paints the story of an almost fatal car wreck and the heightened emotion and motivation that acted as a womb and the rebirth of Sugarcane as a musician.
The juxtaposition between the sweetly soft vocals, the ambient feel good vibrations of the music, and the deeply dark world of the song itself is a beautiful piece of song craft. It makes the constellations of the soundscape all shine that much brighter with a dazzling bittersweet element added into the Caribbean sway.
The band behind the music has been carefully curated which might be harder to hear in the subtle and surreal atmosphere of this track. The instrumentation is there, weaving effortlessly underneath the lyrics accentuating and filling in the sound of the saga. It is deft, it is masterful, it is rich and warm. We can’t wait to hear them let loose a little more on other tracks from the album.
The man behind the lyrics Robin French is an interesting individual and a true creative. His career includes writing hit shows for TV and the theatre. In finding a new outlet he is bringing his energy and experience and painting with a new medium, but it is clearly not one unknown to him. This track shows an accomplished and intelligent singer songwriter with an ear for drawing on his inspirations to blur together genre into something truly unique.
The music video is a true work of art utilising connections in the industry to enlist the talents of Cannes Award winning director Gaelle Denis. It helps to further the dreamlike quality of the song as it takes a blurry stroll through darker memories while trying to maintain some form of positive messaging moving forward.
I don’t want to go into the lyrics too much because you should let the song speak for itself in that regard. It’s a very well written account that holds nothing back on behalf of the writer. It is honest, it is passionate, and it is powerful.
This is the first single release from the upcoming album and it is a tease of just how open and honest it is going to be.
Stay tuned to Sugarcane on Soundcloud or Bandcamp for new releases.
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Words by Matt Miles
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