Sufjan Stevens Drops New Single ‘Sugar’

Sufjan Stevens is building up hype towards his first album in five years, and now he’s released another new single from it, titled ‘Sugar’.

‘Sugar’ is the third single fans have gotten from The Ascension, his first album since 2015’s Carrie And Lowell. It follows the release of ‘America’ and ‘Video Game’.

“‘Sugar’ is ultimately about the desire for goodness and purity (and true sustenance),” Stevens said in a press statement.

“On the surface the song is just a string of clichés, but the message is imperative: now is the time to gather what is good and pure and valuable and make it your own, and share it with others. Feed your soul and speak new life into those around you. Give each other love, respect and sacrifice.

“Relinquish all the old habits, all the old ways of thinking and doing, all former practices—‘business as usual’—and bring new life to the world. This is our calling.”

In addition to the single’s release, Stevens also unveiled the stunning video for the song, directed by Ezra Hurwitz. The video stars acclaimed dances Raymond Pinto, Samantha Figgans, Celeste Mason and Walter Russell III, and was choreographed Kyle Abraham.

“The way I approach choreography tends to blend elements of the everyday with moments of abstraction,” Abraham said in a press statement.

“I was compelled by the tempo and the tone of the song…especially when choreographing the duet material and solo material for Samantha Figgans and Raymond Pinto. This song and its undertones created a lot of really fun scenarios to play with choreographically.”

The Ascension drops on Friday, 25th September.

Watch the video for ‘Sugar’ below.