Heads Up About The Big Pop Sounds Of Sugar Coat (Billy Reeves of theaudience)

Until yesterday I knew nothing about this which is a shame 'cause, as many of you know, I was a huge fan of theaudience. In fact, long-time readers might remember when Sophie Ellis-Bextor's image was up there on the masthead. The Britpop of theaudience blended new elements into the whole indie stew thanks largely to mastermind Billy Reeves. Well, he's again shown his pop smarts as this new (extremely) limited edition single from his outfit Sugar Coat is just as good as that stuff from Sophie's act.

"Me Instead" carries traces of Dusty Springfield as others have noted but what I hear here is a touch of Cerys Matthews from Catatonia as well. The vocals are wrapped around a sumptuous melody that is good old-fashioned Pop of the sort that littered the airwaves in the mid-Sixties. Fans of Gene Pitney and Jimmy Webb and the girl group era will find much to love here.

I wish I had more details on this but I don't. For now, follow Sugar Coat here, or via the band's official Facebook page.