Premiere: Sweet Touch Navigates Discomfort With Grace On “Coffee King”
Human existence is one of balanced complexities and delicate contradictions. We’re expected to be cautious yet at ease, empathetic but guarded, strong and tender. Every breath we take embodies paradox, often unnoticed, concealed in plain sight. Yet, when we step into discomfort, these contradictions rise to the surface, vying for dominance as we navigate the delicate minefield of the taboo. It’s a challenge to articulate fully, but electronica has long been a master of this expression–a limitless genre where multiple truths can coexist in harmony despite their incongruity or dissonance.
For Sweet Touch, this musical landscape offers the perfect ground to sift through the remnants of a failed connection–one that still hums with faint affection but is unmistakably marked by the erosion of time. In “Coffee King,” the adventurous duo view a conciliatory meeting with both malice and grace, as the singer strikes a careful balance in order to navigate conflicting impulses without disrupting a fragile equilibrium. With lyrics that resonate and a sound that captivates, this track marks another daring addition to the group’s growing catalog, solidifying their distinctive presence in Richmond’s vibrant music scene. Out everywhere on Tuesday, November 19th, The Auricular is excited to premiere this track a day early, with an exclusive stream below as well as further perspective on the song’s stratified nuance.
The fourth single from the nascent electronic duo, “Coffee King” explores a cordial meeting between former companions, an encounter laced with awkward tension that lingers despite any surface-level ease. Mirroring this unease, the track’s undercurrent adopts a jittery, nervous energy, with breakbeats sprinkled with sharp digital flourishes that evoke the sensation of skidding around corners in an embarrassing maze of potential missteps. Apprehensive from the very first lyric (“I’m not exactly excited about this coffee / But I thought that we should meet up”), the singer pushes forward with a steady cadence, guiding the song past emotional pitfalls and preventing any lingering awkwardness from derailing the moment. Still, the discomfort does take control (“This feeling’s odd\ Wasn’t on my radar”), matched perfectly with the introduction of a sultry saxophone melody, one that seems to give the poise needed to maneuver through the personal obstacle course.
Sweet Touch’s signature puckish tone is on full display here, effortlessly shifting between sharp observations and gracious tolerance. In a sense, it unfolds like the familiar dynamic of an angel and devil on the shoulder—one provoking, the other offering counsel. At times, the perspective leans heavily in one direction, but ultimately, the balance is restored, naturally reconciling it just like our paradoxical behavior does in every moment of life. The jazzy ambiance infuses the song with a sense of confidence and nimble poise, guiding it smoothly through its conflicting emotions. Even as the minefield intensifies and the movements grow bolder, the track maintains its control, never faltering–much like the disarming smile we wear despite the clash of emotions within.
This interplay of contrasting balances has defined Sweet Touch’s output in 2024 so far. “Dwarf Star” captured a sense of spacious chaos, “Saturday” aimed to blend leisure with confrontation, and “Fizzy Drink,” the band’s debut, infused glamour with farce. “Coffee King” extends this theme, but with a deeper personal connection driving the search for equilibrium, all while embracing the wild pendulum swings between opposing sides. Begrudging benevolence reveals itself as the central theme in the end, guiding the song from a place of raw malice and lingering resentment to a more tempered space of forgiveness. It moves toward a realistic aspiration–the place we all hope to reach with those no longer part of our lives, where understanding and acceptance can somehow coexist with bitterness, even if reluctantly. It’s far from perfect, yet it settles into a rhythm that lifts our spirits, allowing us to drift away effortlessly on the breeze of this sublime track.
“Coffee King” is out everywhere on Tuesday, November 19th, and you can catch Sweet Touch in concert on the same day at In Your Ear studio for the latest Shockoe Sessions Live. For future updates on the escapades of this electronic duo, make sure to follow them on social media.
