A Quick Chat with Sugar Tongue

Let’s start with the big one — “Reefa Dragon.” What’s the story behind the track, and what does the title mean to you?
Reefa Dragon is a late night fever dream. A chaotic moment of youth when you’re burning fast, high on freedom and chasing feelings that are just out of reach. It’s that reckless joy of being untouchable for a night. The “Reefa Dragon” is a symbol of that escape, the thing you chase when you’re cruising with the windows down and laughing at nothing. It’s the soundtrack to bad decisions that somehow feel right.

The single feels like it’s dripping with attitude and energy. How did you approach capturing that raw live sound in the studio?
We head into the studio like we were walking on stage and that’s no different to how we treated Reefa Dragon. The beat was crafted a year ago and we knew we were onto a unique old school type sound. After a brewing in the subconscious it bubbled over and started flowing leaving the sweat, laughter, and probably a few off takes that felt too good to delete. But honestly, it’s just the beginning. The rest of the album makes this track look like the pre-drinks. There are tunes coming that punch harder, groove deeper, and will straight up blow your socks into off.

Your Spotify bio mentions your fusion of surf-rock grooves, reggae pulses, and pop bite. How has your sound evolved on this new album compared to your earlier releases?
We’ve always looked for our sweet spot between looseness and locking in. We found that surf rock swagger with a reggae heartbeat and a pop sting is something that stays in people’s heads. Tongue Twister dives into those sounds taking them further than we ever have before. Our earlier releases were really raw trying to find our sound and we’ve found it with this one! We’ve grown up a bit, but not in the responsible way. The grooves are deeper, the guitars sweeter, and the lyrics hit that spot between introspective and “I can’t believe they said that.” Tongue Twister is Sugar Tongue.

Adelaide has a tight but thriving music scene. How has being part of that community shaped Sugar Tongue’s identity and sound?
Adelaide’s got a magic scene that’s hard to explain. It’s like no other in Australia! it’s chill but alive, small enough to know everyone, but big enough to never get bored. The local scene’s full of heart! Everyone’s hustling, supporting, and making things happen. You can’t hide here and that’s made us keep our identity and sound raw and honest. The Adelaide scene pushes you to be uniquely yourself and earn every clap and that feeling flows into everything we do. It’s this scene that has given us a balance between wild energy and grounded.

Who’s producing or mixing the new album, and what’s the creative process been like this time around? Any new collaborators in the mix?
Tongue Twister was mixed and mastered by our own Alex (Leo) Lang, who’s our in house wizard. He built the album from the ground up, capturing that blend of bedroom grit and dream that defines Sugar Tongue. The creative process was pure chaos and very different from any of the work we’ve done in the past. Tom was away for 3 months making the usual process trickier than normal. This led to the in studio collaboration to be more cohesive and shortly after the early track demos were sent to Tom who helped solve the lyrical puzzles on some high speed trains. Upon his return it was 2 weeks of intensive recording sessions between work shifts to polishing those demos into the untouchable songs you hear today!

There’s a strong sense of character and humour in your lyrics and performances. How do you balance that playfulness with the heavier or more serious messages in your music?
The humour keeps the truth from hitting like a truck. A lot of our songs are rooted with burnouts, heartbreaks, or anxiety but we twist it with a grin because that’s life. It’s not what happens to you but your perception of the moment that matters and we have some songs we laugh through and some we scream and cry through! At the end of the day we just want to share stories and experiences in the best way we know how to connect with people and spread peace and love!

“Reefa Dragon” sounds like it’ll go off live. How does it fit into your set, and what can fans expect from your upcoming shows?
Reefa Dragon is the pre-drinks of our setlist it kicks the door open and sets the tone for what follows. So far it’s a spark in our setlist that gets everyone moving, and reminds you that the night’s only just starting. The rest of the set is where it really unravels… we’ve got songs that hit harder, grooves that run deeper, and moments that’ll leave you grinning like you got away with something.

If your new album had a theme or central energy, how would you describe it in one sentence? When can we expect the album?
Tongue Twisters theme is “Staying present while the world twists sideways.” - Tom. It’s that change of perspective that twists your brain into seeing the light in the dark. Tongue Twister, drops November 28th and we can’t to show it to the world!

You’ve got a real DIY edge. What have you learned about staying independent in the Aussie music industry, especially coming out of Adelaide?
Thats something we love and take pride in. Being indie means you’re the manager, marketer, and merch guy all at once. It’s certainly is exhausting, but it means every win hits harder and is more meaningful. It’s the music industry we know no one’s coming to hand us a golden ticket and we’re fine with that we’re loving building our roller coaster and riding it our way! Its pushed us to think outside the box, and do it our way. We feel like Adelaide’s a pressure cooker full of amazing indie musicians and when it explodes when you’re ready so we’re just and in the cooker learning as we go and enjoying the ride.

Finally, what’s next after the album drops? Any tours, collaborations, or dream stages you’re eyeing for 2025?
We’re lining up an Australian tour, heading up the east coast, Perth and hitting some other spots we haven’t broken into yet! We’ve got some other things in the works and manifesting some festival stages in 2026. Either way, well keep doing what we do turning good nights into bad decisions and bad decisions into good songs.