Tangerine is the kind of band that instantly calls to mind warm weather and long drives on west coast highways—though notably erring more on the side of speeding than a leisurely ride. The Seattle trio, made up of sisters Marika and Miro Justad and Toby Kuhn, are rounding the third anniversary of their first release and seem only to be picking up the pace as they go.
Their fourth EP, Sugar Teeth delivers on its name: it’s evocatively sweet guitar pop with dreamy vocals. Marika and Miro’s voices drift over the guitar line with a tone akin to Stevie Nicks’ and harmonies that lie on the same plane as those of Haim (of which they aren’t shy about being very fond); on an outstanding moment in “Sunset”, the vocal line follows the lead guitar as if effortlessly. Albeit sweet, the EP is still not necessarily simple in composition. While Tangerine have been termed “slacker pop,” these songs are ultra-refined and mindful. This is fast-paced, polished pop driven by intricate patterns and shifting tempos, and there’s never quite enough time to settle into any one groove. It all flashes past until the title track closes the record on a more downbeat note, with flanged guitars leading the way out. “The world is still a bright and novel place / we still get anxious, still feels like a phase,” Miro and Marika sing, acknowledging a lingering tension between freedom and the fears that ride on it.
Sugar Teeth is out now via Swoon Records and available on Tangerine’s Bandcamp.
