Suite No. 6 is the debut full-length album from Denver-based “pastel surf goth” outlet Candy Chic. What began six years ago as a solo project by lead singer and guitarist Luke Slouka now includes Hunter Lee on Bass, Mack Millar (not to be confused with Mac Miller) on drums, and Evan Domagala on synths.* According to Slouka, the name Candy Chic came about because he thought the music sounded both sweet and sour: “Around the time I started writing songs for Candy Chic as a solo project, I bought a chorus pedal for my guitar. As soon as I heard and played the pedal, I imagined that this is what candy would sound like if you could hear it. Our music can be sweet, sour, or any flavor in between, so I thought it was fitting.” So what does candy sound like? And what the hell is pastel surf goth? Surf rock rings some bells, and I have a picture of what pastel goth looks like (I came of age in the trenches of Tumblr, remember), but what does it sound like? And where does surfing come into the picture?? The investigation begins.
Depending on the project, Candy Chic’s music is categorized as punk, alternative, or rock on music platforms. Even the singles from Suite No. 6 are categorized differently than the album as a whole. Melancholy goth rock vibes dominate Candy Chic's first few individual tracks released in 2022, but their 2023 EP Midnight Glamour sheds a little of that gloominess, dipping into sunnier surf rock and new wave. This latest project harkens back to Candy Chic’s brooding early singles, like the bracing chill of a cool evening after the sun sets on Midnight Glamour's beach day.
Conjuring a vivid setting and atmosphere for the listener is one of Candy Chic’s goals for their music. Says Slouka: “At the core of our music and the album, we want to put you in a place of sorts. Song names on the album like ‘Twilight Lounge’ and ‘Red Pine Motel’ allude to a night out in a new city, and ‘Café Racer’ adds to the debauchery. But at some point you gotta go home, back to your room, your motel. And that room is Suite No. 6.”
Place, movement, and motion are the crux of Suite No .6. The songs get their momentum from variations in tempo and intensity, escalating from moody synths to frenzied surf rock guitar riffs. “Café Racer” takes off at a sprint right away and barely pauses for breath until it burns out in a tailspin. The rousing headbanger “Dashboard Hieroglyphs” builds tension with a heartbeat-like synth that erupts into furious guitar shredding. In these moments of buoyant aggression, Candy Chic channels post-punk bands like Dead Kennedys and Bloc Party, with just a touch of new wave synths. Angsty quips like “Damnit I’m going nowhere quick,” (from “Dashboard Hieroglyphs) and “Waste of a fucking night” (“Lost Youth”) bolster the punk attitude, although I would enjoy “Lost Youth” more without the random words yelled in the background of the main vocals.
When Candy Chic originally released “Café Racer” as a single in 2023, they said in an Instagram post that it was “Best enjoyed loudly while cruising with the windows down.” The same could be said about most of Suite No. 6. Blasting this project while whipping 85 mph on country roads during back to back round trips to Greeley (Pro tip: If you're going to drive somewhere 60 miles away, try not to leave your ID behind!) was exactly the right way to listen to it. Sailing through Northern Colorado with a soundtrack of supernatural synths and thunderous guitars is the closest I’ve ever felt to a young Anakin Skywalker podracing in The Phantom Menace. I hope you all get to experience that (And I hope that you understand that nerdy-ass reference).
Elsewhere on Suite No. 6, Candy Chic incorporates more synth-forward new wave and darkwave influences like New Order, Depeche Mode, and The Cure. The final track “Red Pine Motel” is the only song that stays at an even keel from start to finish rather than moving through peaks and valleys. Even when a slight growl slips back into Sloukas voice, it’s fleeting and never rises to a full shout. His vocals, as well as the guitar, give “Red Pine Motel” an almost neofolk bend. That may sound anticlimactic after the adrenaline rush provided by the previous tracks, but as Slouka explained, Suite No. 6 loosely follows a night out on the town, and the end of the album aligns with the end of the imagined evening. Taking this into consideration, the placement of “Red Pine Motel” makes perfect sense, because the lull in energy mimics the sudden stillness and exhaustion of coming home to an empty apartment (or empty motel room) after a wild night.
I confess, I prefer Candy Chic’s softer songs like “Red Pine Motel” and “Twilight Lounge” to their raucous electropunk. I find Slouka’s voice most moving when he shows more vocal control and restraint, though I know that's a personal preference; I want to hear him roar, not scream. I’m sorry, I just don’t like men yelling at me– musically or otherwise! But I admit it’s likely that I’m simply not punk rock enough to appreciate some of the high-octane vocals, so I can't hold that against them. If Candy Chic’s music were candy, I think it would be a jawbreaker: a little sugary, but tough enough to chip a tooth. This is music that is meant to be played live for an eagerly moshing crowd, and though I do NOT fare well in a mosh pit, I feel like these dudes would give a great live performance. Coincidentally, they just announced a show coming up on Saturday, March 8 at The Squire with The Etiquettes and The New Creep. Can they match the energy level of Suite No. 6 in person? I guess you’ll have to meet me there to find out.
Suite No. 6 by Candy Chic is out now on all music platforms. See Candy Chic with The Etiquettes and The New Creep at The Squire Lounge on Saturday, March 8 at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 and the show is 21+. Message @candychicbops on Instagram for tickets in advance, or purchase them at the door.
*From 2022-2023, Justin Cygan played synths and contributed backing vocals to Candy Chic, but left after 2023 to move to Berlin. He’s responsible for most of the synths and background vocals heard on Suite No. 6, with the exception of “Twilight Lounge,” which features his successor Evan Domagala.
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