Photo By Martyna “Ginger Dope” WisniewskaELECTRO-SHOEGAZE DUO RELEASE DEBUT LP VIA DERO ARCADE
Transatlantic duo SUGAR HIGH, composed of musician Kris Esfandiari and producer Darcy Baylis, share their debut LP Love Addict, out now via Dero Arcade. Within the last month, they brought us two early singles in the form of “Losing” and “Ugly” which introduced listeners to their most unique sound; a moody, 808 shoegaze blend that perfectly matches the melancholy of current events.
Photo By Martyna “Ginger Dope” Wisniewska“I believe ‘Losing’ was the first song Darcy and I started working on,” recalls Esfandiari via press release. “It has a special place in my heart and marks the start of a beautiful friendship and collaboration.”
Following “Losing” came “Ugly”, their second single and first music video. Darcy called the track a metal version of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful”, albeit one that broods over self-disparagement rather than overcome it. The accompanying visuals offer up-close, unsteady views of the duo, who unflinchingly sing their sorrows back in the viewer’s face.
Their instant connection culminated in a mutual diagnosis: their now debut album which encapsulate 7 songs melding their seemingly disparate musical universes with neon ‘90s-indebted shoegaze guitar, booming 808s, and the pair’s soaring vocals explore themes of intimacy, trauma, and addiction.
Stylistically, Love Addict finds itself enveloped with heavy reverb and hip-hop beats that form the backbone, while the languid, sweeping vocals provide its heart. The lyrics offer pensive and explicit reflections on isolation, self-destruction, and heartbreak, made more poignant by the rumbling production beneath them.
Though recorded long before 2020, the LP’s moody ruminations capture the uncertainty and unease of current events: “I’d sleep much better if I could” Kris laments on “Losing”, the track that initiated hers and Darcy’s artistic partnership.
Photo By Martyna “Ginger Dope” WisniewskaListen to Love Addict now below!
