Premiere: Syrup Go On are now SGO, but the purity of their dream pop missives remains better than ever with their shimmering, blissful new single ‘Bookcase’.

We are very honoured to premiere the new single ‘Bookcase’ from Meanjin/Brisbane’s dreamy dream pop superstars, SGO (through 4000 Records). SGO are the artists formerly known as Syrup Go On who we have lauded over the years for their gorgeous, breathtakingly beautiful music, and the new track shows that while the label on the outside may change, the contents remain as indelibly brilliant as ever, of not more nuanced and mature.

‘Bookcase’ has a muscular shoegaze spine underneath the jangling guitars and the languid, angelic layered vocals are a golden filigree that sparkles in the sun. The result is something that is hypnotic and immersive, inducing a sort of late afternoon reverie under a bright blue Queensland sky with dappling waves splashing up against a bleach-white beach. A bucolic, pastoral feeling of sonic bliss.

The track was co-written by Liz Dick and Kris Briese following the shared experience of a break up. Dick says:

This song is about feelings of isolation and a lack of control around where my life is heading. In the first verse there’s a line about an empty bookcase which symbolises loneliness as the bookcase was once full.

Briese adds:

Lyrically, the track doesn’t resolve either. The final line could’ve been either “It’s the start of something new” or “I might be missing you”. We opted for the latter as the perspective we were writing from wasn’t intended to be a rational or hopeful one. We wanted to convey a very human response, which was to ignore the events that led to the breakdown and to focus on what once was.

The lyrics certainly reflect a fragile and ethereal beauty deep in the heart of the song:

Fragments of dust fall on my bookcase
Where your books once were
Can’t bring myself to fill it
All I hear are your words
Teardrops glisten on my cheekbones
It’s all falling apart
Mirror finally shatters
To leave a broken heart

The combination of the melancholic expression and the haunting music creates something quite delightful:

4000 Records · SGO – Bookcase

SGO have transformed and matured over the years from a somewhat psychedelic edge in the beginning into something more delicate and restrained, and the results are wonderful. There’s a lot of stunning dream pop music emanating from Queensland at the moment, and SGO are one of the best in a packed crowd.

‘Bookcase’ is out on Thursday, 28 April 2022 here through the wonderful 4000 Records (keep an eye out on their bandcamp site). The single will available on a super limited run (20 copies) of CD singles that will also include a tasty handful of remixes by Meanjin locals.