REVIEW - The Sugar Bites - 'Fuzzmosphere' (Album)
'Ca Plane Pour Moi' - that's about the extent of my knowledge when it comes to Belgian Rock! Oh - I might have also had dEUS and Soulwax CDs back in the 90s; but that is definitely as far as it goes! So to be sent an album written, played, recorded and mastered by a band - all of whom are not yet in their twenties - from Brussels was intriguing to say the least. Especially when that album - 'Fuzzmosphere' by The Sugar Bites - has a number of different touchstones within its ten tracks. The guitar noise of J.Mascis and Kevin Shields, the shoegaze stylings of Lush, The Sundays and Galaxie 500, the stoner rock influence of Josh Homme and peers and the space rock of late 60s and early 70s are all present and correct and makes for a varied collection of songs.
The album has its flaws - as to be possibly expected with a record made at home, the production and sound quality wavers at times and the vocals are sometimes too harsh, but there is still much to enjoy with the album. The full - pelt opener 'Deniz The Apprentice' is an exciting lead-off track - crunching stoner rock with piledriving riffs and pacy drumming, the inter-locking vocals of 'Courir Vers Le Ciel' and 'Blue Haired Girl', the expansive closer 'Fields Of Tomorrow' and the album's best track, 'Tram 81' which with its metronomic feel akin to the vehicle of the song's title, fuzzed bass, echo-laden and fuzzy guitar lines, hypnotic 'space rock' feel and best of all, the surprising entrance of 'dancing' synth effects four and half minutes into its seven minutes duration, brings the album to a satisfying peak.
Instrumentally, the musicianship is good with fluid guitar and bass playing and rock solid drums, and the album is a fine opening gambit from a band that promises much. And perhaps in a few years time we can add The Sugar Bites to that list of Belgian bands we have heard of!
'Fuzzmosphere' is available on Spotify, Deezer, Youtube and other major digital platforms.