Sugar Army - Where Do Hide Your Toys EP (Album)
» Gyroscope - Billboard, Vic - September 9, 2008
» Gyroscope - HQ, SA - September 7, 2008
There is a current crop of Perth bands that are brimming just at the edge of national prominience, Sugar Army is one of these bands. Having first heard the band in a live setting and been thoroughly satisfied with the cochlear punishment received, expectations of the EP were high. Unfortunately the grime and angst (not angst in the sense of emo teen angst either just for the record) fuelled power they conjure up in their live show isn’t available in studio mode. Which is a shame, as Sugar Army are a more than decent band with songs that rip when they are played live.
Having said that, this is not a bad taster for what’s to come from their upcoming LP but it just doesn’t do the band the justice it deserves. Triple J favourite …And Now You’re Old Enough, I Think You Should Know is a solid opener and loves a car stereo, a party stereo or a pair of headphones with the purpose to psych ones mind up. Comparisons with Queens of the Stone Age are too obvious but must be mentioned. That same dirty, British Invasion guitar fuzz sound that Queens can lay claim to in contemporary times, runs through the entire 6 songs. This means the songs work much better by themselves than if played back to back. When the EP is listened to in its entirety it begins to attain a mechanical sense to it, having moments where it feels as though it is going to break out into unchartered bedlam but ends up containing itself. Maybe The Boy Who Cried Wolf Was Just Paranoid is the standout track of the EP, stripping the band’s sound down to its raw roots, to create an ominous atmosphere and allowing the track’s war cry: “you can start all over again” to brand itself on the listeners mind.
Again, these songs are so much more enjoyable in a dark and hazy pub setting; imagine a basement or bomb shelter and that’s where Sugar Army should be listened to and they should be live and loud. Make an effort to catch the band live before listening to the EP or wait for the bands forthcoming LP which is sure to be a step up from their short player.
