It is incredibly easy to lose hours to a glowing screen, letting the real world slip away while endlessly scrolling for a fleeting distraction. Boorloo-based six-piece sugarwife tackle this modern exhaustion with their latest single, ‘The Fog’. Released on 30 October, the track sees the band trading the hopeful melodies of their recent AMRAP-charting hit ‘Getting Closer’ for a much darker, slow-burning slice of indie rock.
Playing together in the local Perth scene since 2017, the group are known for what community radio station RTRFM aptly dubbed a "sun and thunder" sound. On ‘The Fog’, the darker elements absolutely take centre stage. The instrumentation draws on the atmospheric weight of nineties shoegaze outfits like Slowdive, pairing dense, hazy guitar textures with a driving urgency reminiscent of Fontaines D.C. It is a difficult balance to strike, but the band navigate the space between moody introspection and sharp intensity very well, grounding their expansive sound in raw emotional honesty.
At its core, the song dissects our collective reliance on digital spaces and the quiet damage it causes. Songwriter Damien Goerke captures this creeping isolation perfectly, noting: “It's about the state of the Western world we've found ourselves in, living off the constant stimulation we find down at the end of our arms. It was built to slip perfectly into our nervous systems and souls without us noticing, only to find out we've been locked out of our own homes."
The studio process behind the release was just as disorienting as its lyrical themes. In a highly unconventional move, Goerke entirely rewrote his melody and lyrics after the rest of the band had already laid down their instrumental parts. This reverse-engineered approach forced the vocals to weave around an existing structure, creating an unsettled, claustrophobic atmosphere that suits the narrative beautifully.
Co-recorded with Ryan K Brennan, the track also features crucial, delicate backing harmonies from Stacey Ann and Dolce Blue’s Veronica Zurzolo, adding a chilling contrast to the heavy guitars. Even a few late-stage mixing accidents were embraced by Goerke during production, leaving rough edges that give the final cut a refreshingly human feel.
Bridging the gap between their 2022 debut ‘Ablations’ and their upcoming second record, this single proves the outfit are unafraid to explore uncomfortable territory. Make sure you beat the algorithm by tracking down sugarwife on Facebook and Instagram so you do not miss whatever they decide to drop next.
