A SIT DOWN WITH SUGAR NAP

Under the moniker Sugar Nap, Caleb Kallander writes, engineers, and produces indie rock and folktronica out of his home studio in Des Moines, Washington.

Influenced by folk and psychedelic movements of the 60’s and 70’s, 80’s and 90’s alternative rock, hip hop, indie, avant-garde and various electronic genres, Sugar Nap’s music is defined by experimental, dreamy, and multicolored sonic textures, accompanied by whimsical and esoteric lyricism including both traditional and experimental instrumentation that administer an immersive, caramelly listening experience.

Sugar Nap’s debut single, “Going Nowhere”, was released July 24th, 2020, with his first EP released on October 8th, 2021. The new self-titled EP is available everywhere! Click the picture above for links, or check it out here under the music section. Also check out the “virtual tour”! Posting a weekly live video from a pre-recorded show on Wednesdays, the latest video will be posted in the video section below also.

What fire new music can you tell your new fans here about? 

Just released a debut EP this last October! Self titled ‘Sugar Nap’. That’s the latest new music. Really exciting. It features seven songs, two of them being collaborations with other local Seattle artists. I’m ecstatic about this release. It’s charted on a few college radio stations across the country which has been so awesome. Incredibly thankful for the support that the record has been receiving so far! It’s available on all streaming platforms as well as for digital purchase on the official Sugar Nap website (www.officialsugarnap.com) and bandcamp.

What is your favorite verse on it? 

my favorite verse on the EP… It’s hard to answer this one! Going Nowhere was a super philosophical and reflective song, and a lot of those lyrics resonate super strongly with me.

“There’s nobody to tell you how to choose your love, you just pick somebody and run.

Dreams are made to set fire with wiry haste” 

I really like those ones; some of the first lyrics I wrote for Sugar Nap. I think so many people get wrapped up in fate and destiny and time. Maybe, when it comes to love, there isn’t just ‘one’ person out there. You just pick someone good and make it work. And all of our dreams and goals in life, I think, exist to be pursued and lit up with an intense and unrelenting passion. What else is life but breath, empathy, and existing? I see so many people ignore their dreams because somebody somewhere told them that it wouldn’t work out. I don’t like that.

“All these people going nowhere fast, take your time but don’t let it pass.”

What were you most meticulous about on your latest song? 

As far as the whole record goes, I think what I was most meticulous about was mic positioning, mics, tape processing and staying analog as much as I could. There was a lot of weird production and engineering stuff I obsessed over with some of those songs, and I don’t think I could have got some of the sounds I got without doing that. It wasn’t all tape, but it’s application was tasteful and effective I think, like recording ‘Stay’ intentionally slower, bouncing the final mix to 2” and then speeding it up gave it such an awesome effect. I also recorded drums on ‘Stay’ to 1/8” tape, pushed it really hard, then re-amped the mono drum playback tape in my bathroom with weird reverb in it. ‘Stay’ has a ton of weird stuff I did. I turned an old telephone into a mic to sing into and did the vocals on that.

Any new collabs happening soon?

While there are no immediate collabs planned, there is a definite interest in continuing to collaborate with 4lec (Lyfe Indoors) and Julia Newman, who both appeared on the EP. Looking forward to other future collabs with other artists as well!

Dream collab? 

Dream collab? Oh man… There are so many artists and engineers that I admire so much that I’d love to collaborate with. Shlohmo would be fun to make some noises with, Metro Boomin. Nick Mason, drummer from Pink Floyd as well! I think doing something with James Blake or Bon Iver could be cool.

Is there a critique you’ve gotten on your music that you worked through and it’s made the overall work better? 

As far as criticism goes, it makes the music better; first I really appreciate criticism, and while two people might think two totally different things, I try to take everything and consider their perspective on why they think that and apply it in an honest way if I think it will make me grow. My first band was a harder rock/metal band, and my current sound definitely has changed from that which I’m sure had some influence from critique but also a natural growth on my own. I think the two go hand in hand for sure.

Give us anything else you want to know about what you’re up to?

I just finished up a “virtual tour” which was fun. It was really more just posting new weekly live videos from a pre pre-recorded show while I’ve been out of state for a few months, but that was exciting. It featured some unreleased songs as well. I had a blast putting together the live band and translating the songs to the stage. Otherwise, gearing up for a few more releases in the new year and starting to lay the groundwork for a full length album! So definitely stay in touch about that.

How do we continue to follow you? 

You can keep following me by signing up to be on my mailing list on the website (www.officialsugarnap.com), Instagram (@officialsugarnap), TikTok (@Sugar_Nap), Facebook, and Spotify!