“A sense of real relief when we feel you’ve overrun.”
Sugar Horse‘s self-written Bandcamp bio describes the group as “a decidedly average band.” We’ve noted and refuted this fact before, most notably with the stellar EP Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico from last year. Released on Bandcamp as a single track, it tilts and yaws across a variety of approaches but remains strongly Sugar Horse. At this point, their stylistic switches and change-ups stand as a key focal point to their signature sound.
With all that in mind, new album The Grand Scheme of Things enters the stage with higher expectations for the band than ever before. A brief scan of the tracklist immediately reveals an interesting component we’ll touch on later: each track on the album runs no longer than five and a half minutes, except for the nearly 25 minute-long closer. For a band usually releasing longer songs, especially on debut The Live Long After, this proved notable. What does a more regularly bite-sized Sugar Horse track look like, exactly?
The title track begins the album to start answering this question. It launches with a slow, atmospheric build in post-rock fashion. Vocalist Ashley Tubb begins quietly and cleanly before then catapulting into a stadium-sized chorus atop sparse instrumentation. This dynamic seems interesting in that it’s like the band and vocalist are in different rooms before upping the ante after the second iteration of the chorus, though it sounds more AOR than anything before falling away at the song’s end.
A life less problematic would dull the eyes.
I’d hate to be dramatic when firm is fine.
Hold your breath for magic,
No chance of lies.
Second track and first single “The Shape of ASMR to Come” operates in a similar vein. This one seems heavier on the low end before slowing to a crawl on the first run of the chorus. It ramps back up for the second, and there’s some cool noodling in the background towards the song’s conclusion as this track has more of a crescendo effect. With that said, this pair makes for a strange opening for a Sugar Horse album. The aggression has yet to really show itself, part of the choice to be “noticeably ‘less Metal'” with this album.
The cost, however, seems to be a distinct lack of trademark dynamics. On subsequent track “Corpsing”, we see a very similar development to the previous, with little to differentiate the two songs. “Mulletproof” does a lot more fortunately, with its echoey, far-away vocals before the first screams on the album acting a mirror, after which the track splits open with the heaviest, sludgiest riffs so far.
“Spit Beach” similarly reintroduces the dynamic, making for a more interesting middle of the album than it started. This is not to say that Sugar Horse has to be heavy to be good, but so much of their sound has hinged on the juxtaposition of heavier passages with post-rock and shoegaze influences. When this comparison goes away, the end result suffers, as the first third of The Grand Scheme of Things demonstrates. While competent, it lacks the staying power that their greatest material achieves so well.
Torn apart at the seams,
Gored and hung.
God forbid you’d stick around and stay your welcome.
Next track and single “New Dead Elvis” again features this dynamic, in this case making for arguably the strongest track on the album. Tubb‘s vocals on the verses are strong and driving, turning up sharply at the choruses. Similarly, a bridge comprised of a proper wall of sound marks the middle section, tearing it apart at the seams. It then drops back into the heavy riffing, again fulfilling that juxtaposition.
Hide in plain sight,
Open wound.
Live on through memory,
Make this your tomb.
Final single “Office Job Simulator” holds a similar position to “New Dead Elvis”, structured in the same general fashion. The midsection here develops more fully before eventually fading out into the closer. “Space Tourist” shows a run time of 24:41, and with what Sugar Horse have shown in less time, the prospect is salivating.
Except for one thing: “Space Tourist” effectively lasts just over four minutes. Though this track does make use of the soft/heavy juxtaposition I’ve clamored for, it ends far too quickly. With the final 20 minutes consisting largely of noise, the finale feels like a joke that The Grand Scheme of Things did not earn.
Given the weak start and generally questionable direction, this album ultimately proves disappointing. While a change in sound could incite interest, to go nearly arena rock fails to capture their essence. For a band’s debut, this could pass, but for Sugar Horse the expectations are simply too great.
5.5/10
Sugar Horse – The Grand Scheme of Things is out this Friday, October 4th on Pelagic Records with pre-orders found here.