I have been a sucker for prettyboys in makeup and scarves ever since I started experimenting with heterosexuality in my late teens. Royal Sugar know exactly what they are doing with every painted nail and pouffed curl in their new video, “Fleeting Love.” Check out this Raven-haired nephew of Robert Plant serving drama. This is toxic romance ripe for angsty teen girls, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say my head doesn’t swing when he shouts “You can’t leave me love!”
Nashville-based Duo Tyler Cohenour and Garrett Carr started their journey on Tiktok covering Harry Styles’ live track “Medicine.” But while their sounds come from One Direction, their looks come from another: the Aqua-Net and sterling silver tradition that I have been grieving since the early 00s, when all the bro bands decided to make misery rock and be extra dudely. Boring. Royal Sugar plan to carry the banner of a glam rock revival. Oh please, please do. I will shower you in glitter confetti.
Royal Sugar’s ripe-for-arena pop bathes in the visual legacies left by Marc Bolan and Queen. GNR-flavored crane shots give us full views of their impressive array of deep V-neck tops and scarves. Bathe in the drama with Cohenour and his antique red telephone. Watch Carr and his wispy spikes tempt fate while his guitar wails on the wet bathroom floor near a broken antennae television. So pretty. So tortured. So retro. I hope those heeled boots insulate them from their guaranteed electrocution.
Royal Sugar are a little silly. But if you scan their TikTok, they know they’re a little silly, whether they’re eating skittles off their star-spangled tops, or chiseling open oranges with their jawlines. Think of them like Måneskin but more sexy-cute than sexy-dangerous. It’s a bit of a respite if you’re bored of oversexed pop imagery. Glam ought to have a bit of mystery to it. I look forward to more.
Royal Sugar TikTok ★ Royal Sugar Instagram ★ Royal Sugar Spotify ★
Music-Survival-Guide 