The squeak of the hinge as the case opens. The ka-thunk as the cassette locks into place. The whiny scratch as you rewind. These are the sounds of the cassette revival.
Sad Club Records, an independent label specialising in the humble old cassette, presents the debut release from SUGARHOUSE. At the age of nineteen, Leeds university music student Tallulah Webb created the label, capitalising on our generation’s yearning for the analogue age. As well as making the label’s cool merchandise, Webb creates ‘zines by hand to create adorable bespoke products, and this particular release’s artwork was designed in a collaborative effort by SUGARHOUSE’s very own Connie Craven and Charlie Sinclair.
http://sadclubrecords.bigcartel.com/product/sugarhouse-cassette
The nostalgia of tape merges with SUGARHOUSE’s modern indie pop to create a charming collectable. SUGARHOUSE began the way every music-loving romantic would dream to start a band. Charlie Sinclair and Connie met at Reading festival in 2014, and after bonding over their mutual love of old fashioned pop and new school indie – became a couple (aw!!!). ‘Love Anyone Else’ heralds the return of the indie pop classic. Its catchy hooks, jangly guitars and upbeat rhythms provide a peppy backdrop to Craven and Sinclair’s effortless vocals.
The nostalgic piano chords of B-side ‘Julie’, released exclusively on tape, combine with bluesy acoustic guitar to make and endearing, reverie-inducing track. The duo’s voices intertwine to form heart-warming harmonies that make you feel as if you’re in a sepia daydream. Although sentimental lyrics like “But I still miss you, singing down the stairs/ You’re playing Romeo and I’m your Juliet” look a tad soppy written down, it will make even the most critical of love cynics feel warm and fuzzy.
SUGARHOUSE’s new release is sweet enough to melt in your mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHFa1hbLPRs
Emma Dutton