Palm Trees and Power Lines

Sugarcult

The energy and dedication Sugarcult brought to Start Static created a massive fan base for the rock quartet around the world, selling nearly half a million copies -- 300,000 units in the United States alone. On their new, Gavin MacKillop produced album, Palm Trees and Power Lines the plaintive edge that lurked below the surface of singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta's songs is now front and center. The new material has an emotional intensity that matches the band's electrifying musical jolt. Sugarcult is quintessentially Californian, and the new album's 12 songs play out against the backdrop of California's beauty and ugliness, its romance and reality; documenting a physical and psychological journey that begins and ends at the edge of the Pacific.

On the undeniably catchy rocker "Memory," the band effortlessly dives into one of the themes that have made them such an important band to their fans - love hanging by a thread. The similarly wrenching songs, "Crying" and "Over", search for a glimmer of affirmation amid the debris of shattered romantic dreams.

"Back to California,"encapsulates the album's dramatic payload in a vivid narrative ("Drive all night to hold you tight / Back to California / We couldn't win in the end") that recalls the climax of an earlier California saga of highways and hope, The Graduate.

"These songs are fresh documents of our lives over the last two years," says Marko. "We're more confident as musicians, we're more confident in our ideas - because, when you set out to do something against all odds and it's working, that just strengthens your resolve. It gives you the confidence to take more chances, keep doing the things you've been doing without apologies and just go for it."