Interview with SUGARFUNGUS

Initially getting together for a songwriting challenge over Zoom and evolving into a band, the Vancouver five-piece SUGARFUNGUS have recently released their debut EP Letting Go, Moving Still.  I recently talked to them about the band's formation, their EP, working remotely and now together in the same room and more.  

Can you give me a little history on how the band came together?

We came together as friends for a songwriting challenge that we would hold on zoom on Sundays during lockdowns in 2020/2021. We would each present and discuss a song idea. Then we’d collaborate and add onto each other's ideas until we had complete demos. We realized we have similar artistic visions and wanted to release the songs that would make “Letting Go, Moving Still”. The name SUGARFUNGUS comes from the anglicized translation of Saccharomyces yeast, which Jackson and Alex both study for their PhDs at the University of British Columbia. We joked that that would be a cool funk band name early on and it was weird enough to kind of stick. 

The band formed during the pandemic, so you wrote the songs on the EP remotely.  How was it working that way? 

It was great putting songwriting first and using production to sort of communicate some of the vibes early on. Sometimes it was a little slow to work asynchronously though. Some of the more difficult instances were inviting Ivan and Tess to the band. Bradan was friends with them but Alex and Jackson hadn’t met/heard either of them before, so we interviewed them over Zoom and sent them some of our demos to see what they would come up with. We had finalized our lineup in January 2021 and would meet once a week over Zoom to share ideas, but we didn’t meet in person as a full band until July.

I’m assuming you have been able to work together in the same room now.  Are you finding the creative process a lot different than when it was remote?

Totally! We now have regular rehearsals in person, but we still record and share ideas in a similar way as before. The nice thing now is that we can jam out the ideas in real time to see if they work. I think some songs really benefit from coming together quickly in a room and others kind of need to marinate a little longer. 

I love the sound of “Catch and Release”.  On the surface it has a dreampop sound, but underneath there is that pulsing bass and some cool synth sections that have an 80’s synthpop feel.  Can you tell me a little about that song?

Thanks! We never really sat down and defined a genre for this project so the resulting songs come from our eclectic influences and the mutations that occur during collaboration. We definitely love dreampop but also like new wave and disco/dance as well. The song was originally written on a bass guitar so maybe that contributes to the feeling as well. 

“Contagious Love” has a really nice jazz vibe to it that kind of sets it apart a little from the other songs.  Was it intentional to try to change it up a little on that song or just something that happened?

For "Contagious Love" I based the groove on the sampled drums used in the first demo and to be honest I really wasn’t sure how I would translate it to the drums. Later in the first band rehearsal I didn’t prepare for it. I just wanted to get a feel with the band and the first thing I played just worked and the band liked it. I was happy it gave the right energy to the song and it would be a good contrast to the other electronic drum tracks. My experience playing jazz and American folk/country music definitely influenced the creative decision. The decision to use brushes and keep a steady groove with the kick drum. - Ivan

“Contagious Love” and “Play Dead” both appear to have live drums while the other tracks sound like they are programmed.  Is that the case and why did you go that route on those two?

It is absolutely the case! We felt creatively it served the songs that way and again we liked the contrast it would present. As our first EP, it’s more about introducing ourselves to an audience and hinting at our range and different directions we could go. 

While the songs on the EP are definitely not dance music, there is an underlying beat to them that will get people dancing.  Was that something you strived for?

Overall I added a lot of dance elements to the EP.  While producing and mixing the tracks I was making sure the kick drum and bass would drive the songs and synthesizers/guitars/percussion would only complement these core dance elements. It’s a balancing act with dynamic shaping plugins to make sure all the instruments are working together to make the song more accessible/dance like for anyone in a social setting (bar/lounge/club etc.) to enjoy and dance along! That was my vision. - Ivan

Have you been able to play live yet? 

We are playing our first show at the end of February and in March. Things are opening up here in Vancouver, so hopefully that means more opportunities for us in the coming months. 

What kind of plans do you have for promoting the EP and what can we expect from the band in 2022?

We’ll be playing live. We have a series of visualizers for each song on the EP that we’ve been releasing. I think we’re going to try to make our own music video at some point this year. We’re also in the early stages of writing and recording our next project. :)

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

You can listen to our EP “Letting Go, Moving Still” anywhere you can stream music or it is also available for purchase on Bandcamp (https://sugarfungus.bandcamp.com)

Stay healthy and try to learn something everyday. :)

(SUGARFUNGUS - Facebook)