MANCUNIAN new wave ravers Sugarstone have tucked away the dayglo, hands-in-the-air synth thang just for now as they embrace the aesthetics of the darkest month; and with the winter solstice nearly here, they’ve taken a swerve into goth-pop drama with a final single for ’21, “Pink Duct Tape”.
The song keeps that rave squelch and playfulness going, but pushes it towards a more leather waistcoat-era Depeche Mode sound; an elegant pop replete with black lippy and panda mascara, some eerie Munsters cackling and a classic Eighties’ pop sound.
It’s dropped today, conveniently ahead of their headline show at The Eagle Inn, Blackfriars, Salford, tomorrow night, December 18th; there might be tickets left, there might be – there were only ten left when we last checked.
The songs lifts its dark lyrical conceit from the great thrillers of film and literature to bring forth a shadowy tale of a kidnapper who uses pink duct tape as a fluorescent trademark – ensuring you have a sweet-dreams nightmare before Christmas.
The band. who number vocalist-guitarists Joe O’Haire and George Miller, bassist Brandon Calvert and Ben Wilson on all forms of percussion among its shadowy cohort, say: “‘Pink Duct Tape’ lyrically follows a fictional horror concept delving deep into the true dark side of Sugarstone. Inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the penny dreadful, plus Hollywood villains Hannibal Lecter and Jack Torrance. A recipe for a truly unnerving audio experience.”
Make sure you get this eerie groove on before venturing out after dark tonight.
Sugarstone’s “Pink Duct Tape” is out today on all digital streaming platforms via Tri-Tone.
For news from Sugarstone, including future release and live dates announcements, connect with them elsewhere on the web at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
