Tweed Sugar has quickly established themselves as one of the leading groups in the Storrs music scene. The four-piece rock band – featuring lead singer and rhythm guitarist Lorin Pellegrino, lead guitarist Brennen Ravenberg, bassist Sebastian Rodriguez and drummer Sean Byington – recently released two new singles, “After Awhile” and “Zebra.” The songs are the first releases with the band’s current lineup and mark the first Tweed Sugar release since 2022, and both were well worth the wait.
The first single, “After Awhile,” came out on Aug. 7 and opens with a light guitar riff before being joined by the rhythm section, with Byington’s subtle ghost notes on the snare drum keeping the song moving. The verses keep this laid-back groove before a quick crescendo ushers the song into its chorus, which is played with both emphasis and restraint by the quartet. Ravenberg’s guitar solo after the second chorus is beautifully melodic and not overplayed. All of these elements combine to make a song that’s meant to be listened to driving around sunset.
Pellegrino’s lyrics speak to the pressures of college life and reflecting on the simpler times of childhood. We see this particularly in the second verse, where he reflects on an old imaginary friend and a lunchbox he lost when he was young before returning to thinking about his current stress.
The chorus’ opening line, “If I could escape all of this sound, maybe the world would stop spinning around,” evokes a feeling that many college students can relate to. Oftentimes, it’s tough to drown out the negative energy and the stresses of life. His delivery of the lyrics is superb. You can really hear him longing for an escape, especially when he hits some high notes during the final chorus.
Though the song comes from a dark place, there’s a subtle optimism there that makes the listener remember that they’re not alone and that they too can find a way to achieve peace in the hustle and bustle of college life.
The band’s second new single, “Zebra,” came out on Aug. 28, and features a much darker energy than “After Awhile” from the jump. The opening guitar riff, which sounds like it’s played in a lower tuning, leads into rapid-fire hi-hat rolls from Byington that launches the song into its main menacing state.
The band is in absolute lockstep throughout the song, playing the shifting riffs without missing a beat with each other. It’s a heavier grunge-inspired song, but there’s still a lot of groove to it, particularly in the funky instrumental bridge. There’s no true guitar solo, but the riffage is intense throughout.
The lyrics are ambiguous but are delivered with a sinister intensity from Pellegrino. He utilizes the lower register of his voice during the verses before jumping up an octave for the choruses, where his vocals evoke those of Dexter Holland from The Offspring. The chorus’ line of “hold your breath and count to three, pose a threat so it seems like it’s ruining my life, but I always knew” is one that could be interpreted a few ways. The way I see it, he’s talking about some sort of personal struggle and trying to work through it.
The contrast of “After Awhile” and “Zebra” show the band’s multiple strengths and ability to combine genres in a way that no other bands in the scene right now are doing. There are rumors swirling of an upcoming bigger release by the band, and given these two singles, there’s a lot for fans to be excited about.
Rating: 5/5