Sugar britches have made an entrance into the Colorado scene with an album that at first glance appears to be a return to some good ol’ fashion musical values in country and bluegrass music. The imagery that this album evokes is so rich, it could have come straight from the pen of a Hollywood screenwriter. The interesting twist on this album, however, is that when you scratch slightly beneath the surface it reveals themes and intention that are the opposite of traditional.
The real hit off of the album has got to be Polyamory. It strikes this comedic tone traditional of old country music while talking about finding a girl on Tinder, mistaking her relationship status (Polly) with her name, and getting caught up in some kind of a love rhombus. The chorus rings out “now my girlfriend has a big boyfriend and a very very pretty wife. I don’t know where I fit in but I always come out nice.” We are finally starting to see these genres of music leap into the present in regards to their social and cultural environment, and with other artists like Orville Peck in the Neo-Alt-Country realm incorporating these new themes, the transition into this new world could not be more clear.
While the guts of this album really are impressive, I would love to see some more experimentation with musical forms. Certainly, this might be like asking a cowboy to learn how to code, but perhaps we can get the Marlboro Man to use a flip phone. Sugar Britches seems to be pushing some of the traditional cultural values in their lyrics, but listening to this album I couldn’t help but be slightly bored with the musical predictability of some songs.
Sugar Britches manages to enter the market with this album at the right time to be pushing themes of intentionality and inclusivity in the country genera. This new phase, and almost wholly new ideological sound has yet to be defined, but if Sugar Britches is as radical and forward looking with their lyrical content as they could be with their music in the near future, there is no doubt in my mind that they will be leading the charge in no time at all.
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