Sumo Cyco will release their new album Initiation on May 07th through Napalm Records. Ahead of the release, the band has released a music video for the first single, “Bystander“. The video, which can be seen below was directed by the band’s frontwoman, Skye “Sever” Sweetnam and filmed by the band’s guitarist Matt “MD13” Drake. Regarding the video, Sweetnam said:
“‘Bystander‘ was inspired by the frustration of our lives turning upside down in this pandemic. I felt like instead of living my life, I was now a slave to a screen, watching the world fall apart right before my eyes, totally helpless. The music video depicts my character trapped in a floating house watching news events taking place on TV, and at the same time, right outside my window. This entire video was produced, filmed and edited by Matt and I in our home studio!”
She offered the following regarding the album:
“The album’s title, Initiation, stems from wanting to invite the audience to be “initiated” into our world. There are usually two congruent themes to each of our albums – one is real-world inspiration, and the other is ‘Cyco City’, a comic book-esque alternate universe where all our music videos take place. With Initiation, we introduce four gangs or clubs. Our music videos for Initiation all include a theme of these clubs – whether it’s gang vs. gang, a forbidden love between opposing sides, or the idea of having to choose where you belong.
Outside of the story, the lyrics relate to the polarization of the world we live in now. We all have a longing to belong, but what makes one feel accepted or ostracized from a group? To be INITIATED, would you be willing to try to understand another point of view? I have always written lyrics about internal struggle, the war within oneself. Throughout the album, we bounce back and forth between struggle and overcoming. It reflects the times, and there are moments that seem a bit dark.”
Initiation track listing:
01 – “Love You Wrong”
02 – “Bystander”
03 – “Vertigo”
04 – “Bad News”
05 – “No Surrender”
06 – “M.I.A.”
07 – “Cyclone”
08 – “Run with The Giants”
09 – “Overdrive”
10 – “Power & Control”
11 – “This Dance Is Doomed”
12 – “Awakened” (bonus track)
