Oakland pysch pop band Sugar Candy Mountain are influenced by a variety of artists, from modern acts like Tame Impala and Beck to classic purveyors of the sound like Shuggie Otis and the Beatles. They’re new album Impression will be out on May 28 through Org Music and today we’re premiering the new video for the album’s first single “Running From Fire.”
The video is a psychedelic adventure in California’s barren hinterlands, the two band members playing the song as the video is edted with dazzling visuals and perspective experimentation. The song is built around a thudding bassline and lead singer Ash Reiter’s mesmerizingly sweet vocal style. The guitar arrangements are sparse but when they enter the mix, they’re very impactful. The verse incorporates a slinky guitar riff that twists around the chantlike vocals. In the chorus as Ash sings the titular line, “I’m running / From fire” the guitar is no more than chord strums heavily cloaked in surf-rock style reverb.
Sugar Candy Mountain worked with producer Jason Quever of Papercuts on their new album, which was written and recorded during the pandemic. Reiter, along with bandmate and partner Will Halsey had their first child in the spring of 2020, which added another influence to the creation of Impression. The two band members, along with their son, took a long camping trip during the devestating fire season at the end of last summer, where much of the writing for the album was completed. The album art was created by Jess Willa Wheaton, who has done the artwork for previous releases by bands that Halsey and Reiter have been in.
Impression Track List
01. “Runnin From Fire”
02. “Impression”
03. “Outside In”
04. “The Love Between”
05. “Gussie”
06. “A Window Is Open”
07. “Wildcat Canyon”
08. “Sally Ballerina”
09. “The End”
10. “In A Flash”
11. “No One Can See”
12. “Antelope Creek”
13. “Please Don’t Look Away”
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