Karmin – #Sugar. In the three years since Karmin’s Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan signed to Epic Records, the duo has been on a wild ride. They have earned accolades from hip-hop heavy hitters The Roots’ Questlove, Diplo, Jermaine Dupree, and The Game, performed more than 600 live shows, racked up nearly a billion collective views of their eye-popping videos (fueled by the devotion of millions of loyal fans around the world, who call themselves “Karminites”), scored the double-platinum hit “Brokenhearted” off their 2012 EP Hello, and appeared on Saturday Night Live. Oh, and later that year, Amy was also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. The only thing Karmin hasn’t done is release a proper full-length album — until now. On March 25th, the duo finally unleash their debut, Pulses, which details the journey these two Berklee College of Music graduates have been on since being pulled from their basement apartment in Boston and set on the tumultuous path to music stardom. “We were kind of in a honeymoon phase for a while, like, ‘Holy shit, that actually happened?’” Amy says of the events of the last few years. “Then real-life hit. Everything was great until things didn’t go exactly the way some people said they would. We were definitely brought back down to reality. And that inspired several songs on the album, like ‘Neon Love,’ ‘Drifter,’ ‘Tidal Wave,’ ‘Puppet,’ ‘What’s In It For Me,’ and the title track, ‘Pulses.’ Because after the honeymoon ended, the real work began. It’s been a lot of ups and downs, which we represent with the jagged up-and-down line symbol of a pulse on the album cover.”
Despite the struggles they’ve endured, Karmin have emerged with a stylistically wide-ranging and truly artistic statement-making album that finds them presenting the most authentic version of who they are to date, thanks to clear-eyed, honest storytelling, sonic boundary-pushing, and expanded creative control with Amy and Nick serving as executive producers and Nick stepping up as both a lead vocalist and producer. “We have such a specific vision in mind,” Nick says. “I wanted to make sure that I was one of the people at the helm helping it translate.” Karmin’s desire to tell and ultimately own their story led to several of Pulses’ most lyrically edgy songs, like the ballad “Neon Love,” which they wrote with musician-producer Martin Johnson. Over epic piano and swelling programmed strings, Amy sings, “I never noticed how hot it is under these lights / This neon love is burning too bright.” “It’s actually about our perspective on our career,” she says. “This is all we wanted for so long, then you get here and you’re still going to experience really negative stuff even if you achieve your wildest dreams.” Another ballad, “Tidal Wave,” is about the effect their busy lifestyle has had on the couple’s relationship. “My favorite lyric is, ‘We speak all day and never talk,’” Amy says. “We have a great working relationship, but there are times when we’re working so hard that we realize, ‘Wow, I haven’t actually connected with you in, I don’t know how many days.’”
Karmin – #Sugar (Video)
Karmin – #Sugar Lyrics:
Saw ya out by the pool on the 8th of July
Didn’t think much about it at the time
Didn’t know that I have to cross this line
Didn’t know, didn’t know
I remember the guy who lost his pants
Took the hit and we laughed and then we danced
Now I’m around you and I don’t trust my hands
Help me out, help me out
Now that we’re cool, we can just chill, we can be friends
The problem with that’s I’ve gotten in over my head
I can’t think about anybody but you
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (but you)
I can’t think about anybody but you (you)
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (but you)
Take your time, work it out with a bottle of wine
Give a word, give a wink or give a sign
Let me know before I lose my mind,
Let me know, let me know (let me know)
How far do you think that this could go? (how far go)
I just signed your name with an X or an O,(signed your name)
We could rush it or we could go slow, (we could rush)
Go slow.
Now that we’re cool, we can just chill, we can be friends
The problem with that’s I’ve gotten in over my head
I can’t think about anybody but you
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (but you)
I can’t think about anybody but you (you)
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (but you)
You know what? (You know what?)
I used to be the type like watch and learn
But you can teach me how the tables turn
Got a O pro feelin’ like an amateur
Makin’ it up as I do it entrepreneur
If I say the right things, would you come to me?
If I play the right strings, can I sleight the piece?
You’re the one that I want, I gotta do somethin’
You got me feelin’ right, like uuuh, yummy
The hustle, bustle sitting on the cusp of
Crisis, ya Midas, touches for the diamonds
Can we survive with a faith like the mayans
How can I live when the way I feel about you is intentional, dimensional,
Flirtation is inevitable, chemical, edible, side effects regretable
My best judgement fights with the liquor
Is that a sparkle in your eyes or a flicker?
Now that we’re cool, we can just chill, we can be friends
The problem with that’s I’ve gotten in over my head
I can’t think about anybody but you
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (but you)
I can’t think about anybody but you (you)
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you, baby
Uuh, sugar, you’re so sweet
You’re so sweet to me (sweet to me), yeah.
Uuh, sugar (ooh, sugar)
You’re so sweet (you’re so sweet)
Sweet to me.
I can’t think about anybody but you (Uuh, sugar)
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you (you’re so sweet, sweet to me)
I can’t think about anybody but you (Uuh, sugar)
Sugar, I can’t think about anybody but you, (you’re so sweet, sweet to me)
Anybody else but you.