afropunk premiere: l.a.-based rock’n’soul band sugar fly pack gritty, retro punch on self-titled debut ep

The L.A.-based Rock’n’Soul band Sugar Fly unveil their self-titled debut EP. The five-track feature is certainly remarkable for it’s live performance sound and A+ instrumentation. From the crescendoing guitar licks and piercing organ on “Blind”, “Sugar Fly” offers an unrelenting whirl of retro rock and soulful flare. Gospel and blues run deeply throughout the EP but never steer too closely to “church”, with the exception of a fleeting appearance on the centerpiece “Speak To Me”. In an attempt to capture the rawness of their live performances, Sugar Fly recording everything live and used very few corrections in post-production, which is evident in the spacious sounding placement of the EP’s soundstage and upfrontness of frontwoman Tia Simone’s impressive vocals.

soundcloud.com/sugarflyband
sugarflyband.com

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.