Sugar Addikt - PHOENIX
By Thomas Bridger
With their 2020 release of Phoenix, mother and son duo Sugar Addikt combine pop vocals with electronic dance to create a fun, easy-listening EP.
Sugar Addikt - Phoenix
Phoenix tells the conventional story arc of fall and rise, choosing for the journey to remain in its most abstract form, as opposed to telling a specific story. It begins at lowest point. They say “It could be a relationship, a job, a mental state”, the first song title Shackles refers to the shackles of our own making when we are at our lowest. The final track Rise brings the celebration when we reach the zenith of our story. Just as a phoenix rises from the ashes, we emerge from the death or our previous self, stronger than ever. I think it’s a great premise for a story, especially as it’s an arc that every listener has experienced themselves or can relate to. Although the journey is conveyed well by the lyrics, I found the overall vibes of each track to be a little similar; it would have been nice for these varied emotions to be portrayed in the musical content as well as the lyrics.
The music is produced well; I like the synthwave-y feel included in most of the tracks. The riffs and chord progressions are not only catchy and well written, but are frequently changing to keep the songs interesting. It’s important in electronic music to have a good recurring hook, but producer Bowman Littrell isn’t afraid to change it up midway through the track. He’s managed to steer this EP well-clear of that repetitive and boring trap that a lot of electronica falls into.
Vocalist Vanessa Littrell is also to be commended for her storytelling; the lyrics are well-sung, well-written, and definitely help set the EP aside from a lot of other similar artists. However, I do feel as though the vocals are overused at times; it would have been nice for a synth instrument to take the melody line at certain points in the EP, lest some of the tracks are in danger of sounding a little Eurovision-y at certain points.
Overall, I found Phoenix to be an intriguing experience; it is a cut above a lot of today’s electronica and it remains interesting and engaging while also providing fun and easy listening. It tells a story, which I think is one of the most important things music should do.