Sugar Nova
... is a dreamy Indie-Electronic Dance Pop collaboration between producer/multi-instrumentalist Luke Miller (from Lotus) and singer/songwriter Rachel Eisenstat (from Raven Jane). The Denver-based duo offers soulful vocals and pop-oriented beats, with arrangements that nod to Indie-Dance, Electro-Pop, Dance/Electronica, Dream Pop, and Chillwave. Sugar Nova doesn’t shy away from mining deep lyrical themes while keeping your body moving to the beat.
Luke and Rachel’s musical collaborations began when Rachel was a guest vocalist on Lotus’s 2016 album Eat the Light, and they collaborated again on Luke’s debut solo album Disco Nap in 2021. The songs paired Rachel's rich, euphoric vocals interwoven with Luke's solid electronic production. These efforts inspired them to work together on a bigger long-term project and in a more pop-oriented realm. With influences such as Little Dragon, Odesza, and Sylvan Esso - Sugar Nova was born.
Who are the "humans" behind the band Sugar Nova and how did you get into music?
We are Rachel Eisenstat on vocals and Luke Miller on guitar/keyboards/production.
Luke: I got into music in high school and eventually went on to get a degree in classical guitar. In college I started the band Lotus which I’ve been touring with since. About 10 years ago I got into DJing and producing my own electronic tracks and have wanted to do a vocal collaboration since then. And with Rachel and I starting Sugar Nova it has finally come to fruition.
Rachel: I had a lot of exposure to local bands as a kid, and we had various instruments in the house since my mom plays music as well. I was lucky to have a lot of mentors and opportunities to play music in my small town, so there was never a point that I "got into music," so much as it always seemed to be part of the fabric of my life and relationships.
"Tiny helicopters" is an amazing Electro Dream Pop Track, what or who was your inspiration?
Luke: On the music side I was inspired by some of the music from the Anajuna Deep label and deep house acts like Eli & Fur and Marsh.
Rachel: the melody was inspired by Luke's initial instrumental composition - it moved me. Also, I was intrigued by the Japanese art of repairing the cracks in cherished ceramics with gold, a practice called kintsugi. I'm probably not the first to see a beautiful allegory there for repairing broken relationships. That's what inspired the lyrics.
The sound selection sounds great as well, how much time did you spend on it?
The music for “Tiny Helicopters” is purposely pretty simple. I came up with the main chord progression pretty quickly. After Rachel wrote the lyrics and melody I felt like it needed a bridge and came up with the alternate chords for the bridge progression. I tried out a lot of different sounds going back and forth between piano sounds, synth sounds. Eventually I landed on synth chords with the pizzicato strings for the counter melody. It took a lot of tweaking and stripping back to get the end result.
How would you describe your creative process and what's in your opinion the hardest part to finish a song?
Luke: I usually start a song with a simple beat and then build a groove of a bass line and chords on top of that. Then I start putting in other elements and try out different melodies. I like to try a lot of different options and I’m not afraid to completely switch directions to see if something else will work better. I try not to get too attached to certain parts in case I have to get rid of them to improve the overall sound.
Rachel: Often, I start riffing vocally on a melody inspired by the chords and beat, and a key lyrical phrase eventually emerges kind of organically. After that, it's less muse and more discipline for me to craft that into a structured lyrical form. In Sugar Nova, we both give feedback on the different aspects of the song, so there's a bit of reworking, tearing things back down to the basics, and rebuilding. It's a fun process. The hardest part is saying "it's done," when really any piece of art could be revised eternally before it's ever released. But that's why we have remixes!
You are from Denver, how would you describe the Indie Scene there?
Rachel: Denver's music scene is thriving and sonically diverse. Every time I think I have a handle on what all is going on in this city, there's a whole other scene I never knew about. We have some independently-owned venues that are a huge boon to the artists here. We've been a flyover state for so long though that we still don't have the infrastructure and industry to support all the talent here. I hope that's starting to change.
How important are "Socials" for you and what's your favorite channel?
Luke: Socials feel like a necessary evil, but Instagram is probably my favorite.
At this moment what are your Top 3 Songs of 2022?
Rachel: ODESZA's "The Last Goodbye" - a remake of Bettye LaVette's "Let Me Down Easy" - totally guts me every time I hear it. Even though the production is so arresting on its own, they somehow managed to make her powerful vocals shine even more rather than competing for space. I've never heard the sounds of the 1960s and 2020s blended so effortlessly. It makes both components of the song sound timeless to me.
Luke: Floating Points - Vocoder and DRAMA - 3AM
What are your plans for 2023?
Luke: In 2023 we are planning on releasing our debut album “Halogen”. We will also be debuting the live show and hope to get out there and play these songs live and let them breathe and take on new life.
Photo credits:
From the Hip Photos
