After busting onto the national scene in 2008 with debut EP, Where Do You Hide Your Toys?, Sugar Army have since played their way around the country, released a full-length album and taken on the opening main stage slot of the Big Day Out.

As they head into the studio to record their second record, they will take some of their new songs on stage throughout Western Australia with the In Control tour.

“We’re just doing a four Perth shows,” explains Drummer Jamie Sher, all long brown hair and a wide-brimmed hat. It’s quite funny, I’ve been doing quite a few phone interviews and people assume we are heading over East but we are just doing the Indi Bar, Bunbury, Amplifier and Mojos.”

Sher looks every bit the eccentric local musician but as he speaks about his band, his eccentricity is diminished. “I think people think it is bigger than what it is. We still have to play shit shows in order to pay things off,” he says, contemplating the idea of being a band in everyone’s face. “If we were to get everywhere that would be good but only if it’s in the right way and exactly the way we want. If we can stay in control of it all that will be fine.”

Having opened the main stage across the Big Day Out tour earlier this year achieving a teenage dream and playing throughout the country with fellow Perth bands Karnivool and Gyroscope, Sugar Army may just be one of those bands that will have to work damn hard for all they will achieve.

“I think we are going to be the work-hard kind of band,” Sher ponders. “I wouldn’t want to be the kind of band in which they are in everyone’s face without even having an EP.

“All I’ve known is playing shows at the Hydey. That gives you a sense of self. I do believe that when you get there and it’s well deserved it’s a better foundation than just being jet-rocketed all over the world.”

With this in mind, Sugar Army will head back into the studio later this year to record their second full-length record. Yet to be named it may well differ from their debut, The Parallels Amongst Ourselves.

“This time we really just want to be much more upbeat and straight to the point, trim a lot of the fat, in a sense,” proclaims Sher. ”Parallels is the biggest journey to listen to. It’s good, but it’s a certain sort of dark mood and this time we just want to push all the darkness away.

“I just want it to be sexy, if a drum beat is sexy for me I just want to go for it, even it is really simple.”

With an eye on the future, Sher hopes to be much more involved in the making of this record. “I think we will demo it all by August. We’ll do it all at home through eight channels into a home computer. I really like the engineering side of things. By doing it ourselves we hope we can learn the ins and outs so when it comes to recording we can easily explain exactly what we want.”

The US is possibly on the cards for the West Australian band but for Sher the music is the important part. “We have a good feeling with this next album, we know what we want to do with it. Not in a sense that we need to get here or here and hoping it works. I think the musicality is getting better and more intricate in a simplified manner.

“We’re noticing that all the best tunes are simple. Take Fleetwood Mac for example, they just write the simplest tunes that are beautifully executed and with soul.”

Sugar Army head back on the road (or at least back up the road) at the start of July. Speaking to Sher it will be interesting to see how their new songs are received and more so how the band play them.

“Sometimes when you’re doing a song it just all clicks - it’s got soul, its tight and its simple,” he says. “Everyone knows what it is and where it’s going.

“Other times a song is simple and it sounds cool but doesn’t really mean anything to you. Then it takes millions of hours to come back around in a loop to what it was but in a slightly different way and then everyone gets it. That’s how we work anyway. Quote that.”

Sugar Army’s In Control tour takes them to:
The Indi Bar, Scarborough, on Thursday, July 1, (with Arts Martial and The Tumblers); the Prince of Wales, Bunbury, on Friday, July 2, (with Emperors); Amplifier on Saturday, July 3, (with Young Revelry and Emperors) and Mojo’s on Saturday, July 4, (with Boom! Bap! Pow! and The Trigger Jackets).