The Daily Spin II
SUGR? | Oh, Death
Welcome back to the Daily Spin. For the uninitiated, this is the series in which I review an album every day of 2025.
As was the case two years ago, my favorite song from each album can be found at the playlist linked here.
Album: Oh, Death (2019)
Artist: SUGR?
Link:
It’s short and sweet, but in the span of 13 minutes, Steven Suptic delivers a far heftier punch in the gut than one might expect.
I first heard of Steven Suptic as part of the acclaimed webseries Sugar Pine 7, updated to Suptic’s YouTube channel of the same name around the time he departed SourceFed in the wave of their shutdown. The show was a tongue-in-cheek parody of vlogging culture in Los Angeles, following three lost twentysomethings as a series called Alternative Lifestyle. The show ran for four seasons spanning the better part of four years before eventually being cancelled, but was most notable for a knack for storytelling, gorgeous camerawork, and most importantly to me - a banging soundtrack.
In the time since, Suptic has cultivated a musical career whose roots were evident for far longer - what with Sugar Pine 7 releasing multiple singles, often parodical, during their time as a comedy troupe, it was no shock that all of the Pine boys have kept producing music. I reviewed Clayton James’ WHALES-TALK project last year, and now I’m returning to look at Oh, Death.
The first and most substantial of Suptic’s releases (it’s been followed by five singles in the interim, the most recent out in 2024), Oh, Death is the culmination of LA angst colored in by a sort emotive pop rock, leaning alternative in the best ways, distilled and combed softer by the clean-cut synthetic elements and the more introspective tendencies Suptic has throughout.
It’s not always brilliant - Suptic has a tendency to play the comic at times, to the misfortune of his writing and lyrical prowess, but his ability to hit the notes outside of the comedy make up for those shortfalls rather comfortably.
One-third broken romantic, one-third rockstar, one-third introspective pop king, Suptic can’t help but try to play every role on this - and it’s rather remarkable, really, how well he makes each of them seem in turn.
Rating: 8/10
Best Tracks: Oh, Death, Make It Hurt
Worst Tracks: Strapped