In a sea of the transient and cookie-cutter pop songs, Sugar Nova stands out as a shining exception. This new team-up between Lotus’s Luke Miller and Denver vocalist Rachel Eisenstat makes a debut that’s soulful and sonically sticky. Their debut release may begin quietly, but Tiny Helicopters is a captivatingly confident debut cut from thoughtful cloth, momentous in texture, and compound in emotional weight.
Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, which involves mending broken pottery with gold to emphasize, rather than disguise, the cracks, "Tiny Helicopters" embraces the beauty of imperfection. The song starts with an evocative, minimal electronic dreamscape that pulls you inward immediately. It's not flashy or noisy, but deliberate like breath that has been held for just a second too long.
Then Rachel’s voice arrives, Ethereal and earthy, her voice feels at once personal and boundless. There’s a lovely warmth to it, a softness that blindsides you in the best possible way. As soon as you sink back into the comfort of the softness, the chorus takes off soaring and spacious, adding dimension and depth without sacrificing the song’s delicate center. Luke Miller’s production is understated but masterful, allowing the song enough space to breathe and setting a pulse that’s simply hypnotic. His work here nods far more to his ambient and heartfelt pop leanings rather than the jam-band beginnings of Lotus.
It’s not just the sonic polish that sets "Tiny Helicopters" apart; it’s the sincerity baked into every second. It sounds like music that was made purposefully, and with heart. "Tiny Helicopters" isn’t just promising but quietly electrifying. Sugar Nova has landed, and done so with grace, depth and a world of potential. If this is the golden seam in their kintsugi-inspired journey then we’re in for something very special indeed.
0 Comments