Pete Gustard – Wash It Down With Sugar

Pete Gustard – Wash It Down With Sugar – Album Review

With all my hootin’ and hollerin’ about this guy right here over the years, I can only hope that y’all know the name of Pete Gustard by now.  Whether it’s been his music in the band Seashaped, his tunes in the band Giant Silent World, his many solo records – including a debut that landed him a spot in our yearly top ten list – his songs being featured on the SBS Podcast, and the SBS Secret Stash Of Stellar Singles, all the way to his most recent video-interview with us on SBS Live This Week – HOPEFULLY we’ve helped introduce ya to this man’s music by now, haven’t we?  If nothing else, you can see by the massive list of different ways we’ve interacted with Pete throughout the years since we started listening, that the guy is a testament to the kind of dedication we love to see in an independent artist.  This dude eats, sleeps, and breathes every day of his LIFE – so of course it’s key to stay hydrated and Wash It Down With Sugar!

You can always hear it when an artist has hit their stride…when they’ve found their place & the methods that get them the best results outta their music.  Doesn’t necessarily mean the audience is going to love every single damn song of course, but the odds weigh heavily in your favor when you reach that special point in a career, where I’d say Pete is thriving currently.  The confidence you wanna hear is always present in the material, and dammit, he’s soundin’ GREAT – just listen to the opening track “A Taste For Tragedy” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.  This track makes for a STELLAR beginning y’all…whether it’s the reliably smooth groove he’s working with for the verses, or the way he shifts things into a much more noticeable creativity in the choruses of this first cut – you’ll find “A Taste For Tragedy” is a heck of a lot easier to get into than you might think its title would imply.  Lyrically, this man is always aces to me – but I really dig that he’s got a track that should make everyone out there think about the role we play in how we consume news and absorb information.  You’ll find the track is essentially split into two types of personalities within its own idea…you’ve got the chilled out nature of the verses, which somewhat represents the calmer side of how we process things…and then you’ve got the more amped-up vibes of the chorus that likely reflect scattered way we react to the stimulation/provocations of information.  It’s smart stuff, but designed to communicate with us on a level we can all comprehend too, which I think is genuinely key…Pete’s not preaching down to us from the pulpit, he’s illuminating what happens in the dark recesses of humanity in hopes that we’ll join him in the battle against our inherent love of tragedy.

“Wake Up Yesterday,” one of the lead-singles for Wash It Down With Sugar, is freakishly spectacular.  It’s one of those songs where I can appreciate the craft in the songwriting, and also feel like I don’t even necessarily love every single part of it too.  I love the concept driving the song, which again should have the effect of turning the mirror back towards us all to make us think about the role we played in relationships that didn’t turn out like we hoped they would, especially when we put everything we have into them.  Ideas & lyrics-wise, this checks out brilliantly.  I was a little bit back & forth about the “easy for you” spots, but recognized how crucial it is in the structure because I LOVED how that leads to the next part in the chorus, where the melody is seriously amazing.  Then it finishes on the “can I wake up yesterday” spot and I was again never quite sure that Pete squeezed ALL the juice outta that line, but he’s getting close.  Parts like where he’s singing “all the love I gave to you” reveal how incredible the guy can be at his best & the most melodic with his tone.  So…in a way, it can somewhat seem or feel like there’s a bit of an imbalance at times in “Wake Up Yesterday” – but make no mistake, what you’ll love about this tune will far outweigh any moments that you might be wondering about, and the strengths of the songwriting as a whole should be completely commended.  What’s good is great here, that’s what I’m saying, and as we all know, the power of one great part in a song can totally lead to a victory in the court of public opinion.  Gustard’s got several in “Wake Up Yesterday” – and hey, it’s got a video too!

Awwwww!  How sweet – Pete wrote my theme song!  “No Happy Campers” is all about thinking you found the job of your dreams and finding out that “it can be the worst decision you’ve ever made” at the same time.  Some of this I talked about in Pete’s recent interview on SBS Live This Week in response to a few of the questions he was kind enough to ask me.  I think there’s an element of good inside of feeling like there’s never a right answer to what the best job for us could be…I think it speaks to the fact that variation is probably the spice of life, and also that a mindset of never being satisfied with anything can actually be a great thing too.  Hunter S. Thompson once wrote an essay about satisfaction when he was like, still in his teenage years if I recall correctly…but essentially, he spoke about how being restless in regards to our accomplishments is precisely what will keep us continually engaged with LIFE and craving MORE of it.  That satisfaction was basically the equivalent of the death of creativity & our own standards of productivity…and reading that essay as a young kid myself, changed the entire course of my life.  I instantly threw out the notion of ever being a happy camper…that was never in the cards for me after I read Thompson’s musings on satisfaction – but I’ve been okay with it ever since as well.  Life is about the journey, not the end…it’s about finding a way to somehow enjoy the struggle in the spaces in between.  “But my mind is broken…reliving what I know…”  I hear that.  I also hear the battle with insomnia that Pete has detailed so perfectly in this song too.  We’re bound to question the path we’re on no matter what we do, and that can often keep us looking backwards while we’re tossing and turning trying to figure out where we’re going in the future.  It’s all just life dear readers, dear friends…and the quicker you can flow with the current, the happier of a camper you’ll be I reckon.  Whether it pulls you into the storm of the sea, or into the placid calm of a greater expanse…we all go back to where we belong, just like R.E.M. told us we would.  So “let the memories grow” y’all…and enjoy the life you’ve got to live as best you can along the way.  Did I mention this song is perfect?  There’s not a single thing about “No Happy Campers” that I’d change, and its final transition takes what was already great into something that’s even better.  Gustard’s got a great grip on melody, and an even stronger one on his concepts; to hear everything come together so tightly on a cut that’s more or less about confusion, is truly awesome.

Would it even BE a Pete Gustard album if we didn’t take a moment or two to get political?  I hardly think so!  “Left Turns Right” is a genuinely thought-provoking track, and if anything, reminds us that there are components on either side of the aisle that present relentless complications that make it hard to identify with either.  What is it they say…both left-wing and right-wing are part of the same bird?  Something like that.  Or that other phrase…something along the lines of a conservative is just a democrat that’s lived for longer?  I think I’ve got that almost correct.  Or perhaps the best way to put it was featured in Nolan’s Dark Knight, where it talks about how “you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”  Pete’s got it right when he says “the world needs compassion” – because that’s what it’s lacking like never before.  It’s always been deficient to a degree, but what we’ve been witnessing since about 2016 (do the math) has set our deterioration in rapid motion.  And there is NO CURE besides US – we’re still in control of our fate, but we’ve been lead into a state of paralysis that’s hard to snap out of.  Even I get caught up in how devastating things seem to be lately – just look at recent reviews I’ve written on songs like “Super Boom” by The New Occupants & Mr Mooq, or themes explored in Temple Of The Diagonal’s new record…there are some far too accurate depictions of where things are headed in both.  All that being said, the material also presumes we do NOTHING – and it’s always within our power to do SOMETHING.  Gustard makes music to stimulate your thoughts and turn those thoughts into ACTION.  He serves as a humble figure of inspiration…and by providing information through his art & fearlessly putting his ideals on display, it’s makes you appreciate how much different this world could truly be with a guy like Pete running the joint.  I’m about as progressive left as a person can get, but I’m not so far gone that I can’t recognize the perils of being too much on one side…lately it feels like I can’t even communicate with the right side of the aisle.  I’d be the last person to tell ya that the left has ALL the answers – they don’t – but it does seem to be the side that best supports the compassion Pete’s speaking about…or at the very least, it doesn’t seem to value commerce over human life…for the most part.  Corruption has perverted our politics on every level, on both sides.  I wish it was as easy as finding a comfortable place in the center that would somehow appease each side…but it seems like the world has shifted past that, and it’s time to pick a side.  Maybe that attitude is where “Left Turns Right” – maybe that’s how we go from being a part-time participant to becoming radicalized or extreme…honestly, I don’t know.  All I’ve ever known is that I’m willing to fight for a better future – for “human rights” – and “equality” for us all.  From what I can hear in “Left Turns Right,” it sure sounds like I’ve got a brother in Pete.  We’re living “in a world turned upside down” – but we can’t be complacent about it…like any relationship, the work needs to be put in for the best of it to be maintained.  We can’t simply look at the state of things and let humanity dissolve out of the human race…we need conviction, courage, and to not lose hope that we can be better than we’ve been.  “Ideals may sway” as Pete says…but right is still right, and wrong is still wrong – perhaps more importantly, we ALL know which is which, and we can’t keep turning a blind eye to the things that suck.  The world needs to accountable, for ourselves as individuals, and for each other.  Jesus…I’ve written an essay here.  “Left Turns Right” is a freakin’ fantastic tune y’all…one of Pete’s best.

Wrapping up a trilogy that spans across three albums, “The Power Of Mind” finishes what started with “The Chaos Of Mind” (on The Open Vein) and “The Beauty Of Mind” (on Battlefield Ballet).  LISTEN to that kickass texture in the guitar he’s put into this tune will ya?  It’s got moments where it damn near sounds like complete static…and I’m lovin’ it!  Don’t panic…it’s purposeful, and the majority of “The Power Of Mind” is devilishly smooth.  It’s an interesting concept he’s working with here…and ultimately, I don’t know where I stand on it.  Pete’s argument is that “hate is the strongest emotion” that we have – and in many ways, I do agree with him.  At the very least, I’d agree that it’s the strongest of our default settings…but I also have to believe that love will always win in the end, otherwise I’m likely to chow down on a hefty sized bullet one day.  I rebel against the hate every day…I try not to be the curmudgeonly fuck that I am…to push back against injustices…to help inspire and move the needle in the other direction, towards the light.  Because that’s “The Power Of Mind” y’all – it’s will, it’s want, it’s desire, it’s commitment…it’s the belief that each day can somehow be better than the last.  That being said, I also understand that Gustard is talking about how we can potentially harness the power of hate into being a force for good – and that’s truly the key.  I get ANGRY at my anger y’all…and I let that be motivation for finding more room for patience, heart, sincerity, and empathy for one and all.  My man from Rage Against The Machine said it correctly long ago when he yelled out that “your anger is a gift” – he’s not wrong, and neither is Pete on “The Power Of Mind” – but it’s how we use that gift that matters.  Great way to finish off what’s been a completely thought-provoking trilogy and remarkable sub-set of his own body of work…will it remain finished at three, or will the mind continue to evolve along with his music?  Time will tell of course, as it always does…stay tuned… he might find he has more to say on this.

“Desperate Daydreams” is one of the most potent concepts you’ll hear on this record, and a song that I wish everyone could hear for the values that Pete’s communicating.  Objectively, I ain’t here to tell ya that it’s my favorite of the bunch in comparison to the rest of the set-list on Wash It Down With Sugar, but conceptually, it’s right up there with the best for sure.  This is really all about the inherent flaws of our thinking, our priorities, and how we’re missing the fucking point, each and every damn day.  WE KNOW BETTER than we let on…but our fake ignorance is now catching up with us.  We can’t outrun or ignore the problems that WE have created as a society – and “in every empty classroom where laughter used to ring” we’re forced to confront the reality that we’re not doing enough to protect ourselves from who we are.  If you’re one of those people that believes in guns – pardon my French but fuck you – they ARE the problem.  If you’re one of those people that believes guns aren’t the problem and people are, then ask yourself why you would ever want the problem to have a fucking gun!  I look at things from a much more simplistic perspective…to me, life is all about addition.  More of what you love doing, more of surrounding yourself with positivity, more challenges, more conquests, heck, even collecting more of that thing you like to buy – all of that stuff is what makes life worth living.  Guns do not ADD anything to LIFE – every instance where they’re used, takes something away.  So believe me Pete, I hear ya and I get the points you’re making on “Desperate Daydreams” – and hopefully one day the world will understand what you’re singing about here.  Really not sure what happens if we don’t start correcting course soon; we can’t live like this in the present, and there is no future for anyone if we don’t change the culture of loving guns, violence, and hate.  It can all make a sane person feel real crazy…it can feel like the sanity of the world is shrinking, but that’s completely an illusion – the reality is that we all have so much more in common than we’re led to believe when it comes to the mere desire to live a peaceful & meaningful life.  The idea that kids are now taught how to hide in active school shooter drills makes me want to vomit.  The idea that there are people that try to justify MORE guns as the solution to that really makes me sick.  If you can’t see that the problem is the fucking guns, you’re warped…period, end of sentence, full stop.

Let’s give this man some credit where credit is due, shall we?  I don’t spend this much time talkin’ tunes that I’m not interested in, I assure ya.  LOOK at the notes I got about the song called “You Being You” – they read:  “Your best friend and collaborator is in pain.  You see it every day.  But, that pain and conflict is a recipe for excellent music.  Does that make you part of the problem when you allow that expression and pain to become crystallised in song?  Is it an analgesic or a narcotic hit that leaves more void and therefore more pain?  Or is it a positive influence that helps recovery?”  Genius!  And definitely worth the debate.  So…look…I’m on the side of there being very precious little we can actually do to change what a person is going to do, but readily acknowledge it’s not impossible.  I also think it’s tremendously easier to write an effective sad song as opposed to a happy one.  And heck yeah, I believe there is catharsis in art…I believe that sunshine disinfects…that the quicker we bring the dark into the light, the better off we become.  So are we complicit when we’re allowing a friend or a loved one to embrace that process and try to turn their pain into triumph through art?  Yep – probably.  Is that dangerous?  For sure – ask Kurt.  There’s a very fine line between encouraging and enabling…and we’ve got a responsibility to recognize which is which.  That being said, I suppose I believe that we can successfully support those we love finding their way through the darkness by providing some light, and being an example of stability as best we can be.  It ain’t always easy, and heck, sometimes we’re going to need that same kind of catharsis at some point too – but that’s the thing about catharsis & the process y’all…it’s meant to have a finite end to it.  We’re not supposed to continually live in pain and turmoil…we’re meant to fight through that and find our way to better days ahead.  Like I was tellin’ ya earlier…we have the ability to find a way to make each and every day better than the last, but we really do have to make that the priority before it’ll work.  I really liked how “You Being You” was written, and I loved how it was executed with the slower paced first half leading to Pete double-timin’ it through the second half…it seemed to echo the weight of our emotions and how that slows us down at the start, to the exuberance of having that weight taken away.  The real bottom line is that it’s every bit as okay to be sad as it is happy in life, as long as you recognize both can contribute equally positive things to who we are; we’re always better for what we experience.

If you DID check out the most recent episodes of SBS Live This Week featuring Pete Gustard over a two part special, then thank-you, you’re among the savvy out there and we appreciate ya tuning in.  You would have also seen the stellar video the dude put together for “Indigenous” along with his homie Chris Smith, the other half of Giant Silent World.  What makes a song a Giant Silent World tune as opposed to a Gustard or Smith solo tune when they’re continuously workin’ together all the time, you’ll have to ask them.  There’s consistency in what they create, and so far as I’ve been able to hear, that’s achieved through constant creativity…it works.  “Indigenous” has a solid guitar riff to start it out as it sounds like it’s powering up at the beginning, you’ve got a great lead part from Pete, and Chris brings style and flair through the echoes in the call & answer trade-off as they flow through the verses.  It’s rhythmic, and it was a great choice to have put out there as an advance single – “Indigenous” is as catchy as it is insightful.  Pete’s got that noted as a song that is “about the power of language” – but I think you’ll find it’s actually about a whole lot more than that – it’s about the language of power as well.

MUSIC SURE ISN’T LIKE IT USED TO BE.  THERE’S NO GOOD MUSIC NOWADAYS.  I WISH THERE WAS A DECENT ARTIST OR BAND OUT THERE SOMEWHERE THAT I COULD LISTEN TO ON MY WALKMAN STILL.  If I had a fucking dime for every asshat that tried to convince me there’s nothing good to listen to or has no idea where to look…you got it, I’d be remarkably rich.  Hell, I’d be like Scrooge McMotherfuckin’ Duck diving into a money bin and swimming in cold hard cash.  I wrote about both “Indigenous” and “The Dream Decade” nearly a year ago when Pete released his Silent EP – you can read that by clicking here.  Suffice it to say, I still like both of these tunes and think they were solid inclusions to have added to this lineup – and with “The Dream Decade” in particular, I think Gustard proves my point about great music still being made out there each and every day, you just gotta know where to look, and hopefully this place we call our corner of the internet has been able to shed a little light on a few good places to dig.  Don’t get me wrong – I get Pete’s point about there being a pivotal moment in our timeline that we’ll always recognize as our own era where music seemed to be that much more meaningful or played a stronger role in our lives.  For example – I’m a liner-notes guy – I grew up with cassettes and used to sit there and read the information in the booklets that came along with’em from cover to cover as the music played…and of course, you can’t really do that now in a Spotify world.  So yes – we’ve all got our own dream decade somewhere in our personal history, I completely agree.  I miss the Grunge era and how exciting and fresh and ALIVE everything felt at that time – but I was equally those things too.  “Now I’m bored and old” as Kurt would say…but I still “Spin The Black Circle” just as much as Eddie promised I would, even if it’s in digital form now.  I’m addicted to the pop of the snare sound Pete’s got threaded into “The Dream Decade” as well – it’s a quality tune, and a great reminder that the music we love never really dies.  It’s always there whenever we push play, and so too are the memories that come with it.

Make sure to find out more about Pete Gustard from his official website at:  https://petegustard.co.uk

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