Sugarmoon
Peaches & Cream
Much respect to the bands that find a lane that goes against the norm. In a world of 3:00 pop songs, drums snapped to the grid and all digital tones, it’s so refreshing to come across bands like Sugarmoon that stick to the classic tones. I don’t know if “Beatnik Rock” is a genre, but it’s all I can think of as I listen to their loose grooves, live recordings and quirky (in a good way) lyrics.
The band is based in Brighton and has released eleven songs since 2020. Scrolling through their repertoire you’re going to hear a lot of vibes that came out of the 60’s California scene, but also some very tasty playing, especially from Joe (keyboards) and Sophie (sax and vocals). This track, “Peaches and Cream” is off an EP that just dropped this week, here’s our review.
Track starts with a straight kick and bass pattern with a lone electric riffing over top for 8 bars, in A. Right away I can tell this is not snapped to a grid - thank the gods! A small horn section comes in on measure nine to repeat the riff, with some accented work on the toms. Steady beat, nothing fancy, but I’m bobbing along. Verse starts on the tonic, repeating the theme, and I dig the EQ on the vocal track - just a hint of bite and compression. Gives me the feeling that there’s going to be a lyrical edge to this track. That comes with the lyrics in the pre-chorus as the delivery changes and reminds me of Lennon on the line “life is such a drag.” In what I’ll call the chorus, the line “it’s easy for me” is repeated and I absolutely love the third chord they hit in that progression - it’s part of a chromatic walk down that ends on a major 5, but the use of that F# major chord is really, really smart. Really enjoyed the addition of a female background track here, adds a great amount of texture to the journey.
This has all been a clever set up for the jam that comes after that chorus with the full band. Now the drums and bass are wide open with the horn section as well as a beautiful B3 track for 8 bars while the band repeats that chord progression from the chorus. For reasons I’ve never been able to explain clearly, I’ve always believed that chromatic lines worked better on horns and Hammond’s that basses, electric guitars and synthesizers - there’s something about the harmonics there that I’ve always enjoyed when their movements were tight. That section is followed up by a very tasty solo in my left speaker that hits on a few different genres, and really uses the Leslie well.
Now were back to a short verse, but there’s an unexpected vocal break that happens before the final instrumental chorus . Clever play on the words here as the chords move, down. I’ll say it’s unexpected if you’re not familiar with their work, but it fits right in with how they write, compose and record. Lovely performance of the final progression, a bit more subdued than the earlier runs, with some solid hits at the end to cap it off. Lovely track, finely engineered with great tones. Kudos to the drums and bass for laying down a solid groove throughout - not making any of the hits feel rushed, and leaving enough room for others to work. Great track, Sugarmoon!
Make sure you scroll down to catch their socials and other tracks. “Just a Feeling” is definitely a favorite - great loose groove, beautiful B3 and great lyrics. “It’s Not the End” is a signature track for their style and arrangements. A little bit of jazz, a little bit of vaudeville, with some nice rock guitar tones. Great swing feel and a lovely piano solo. Love the organ tones on “The Only One,” as well as the chord progressions. Feels like this was recorded in Laurel Canyon in the 60’s. Best of luck with this release!