| Sugar/Tzu | |
| Cover: | Sugar-Tzu cover.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Black Midi |
| Album: | Hellfire |
| Released: | 12 July 2022 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 3:50 |
| Label: | Rough Trade |
| Producer: | Marta Salogni |
| Prev Title: | Eat Men Eat |
| Prev Year: | 2022 |
"Sugar/Tzu" is a song by English rock band Black Midi, released in 2022 as the third single from their third studio album, Hellfire. The song tells the story of a futuristic boxing match wherein one of the contenders is assassinated by a young boy. It was released with a music video directed by Noel Paul that went on to win "Best Cinematography in a Video" at the 2022 UK Music Video Awards.[4] A live recording of the song at Electrical Audio was released on flexi disc and bundled with copies of Hellfire sold in independent record stores in the United States.[5]
"Sugar/Tzu" is a jazz fusion song featuring elements of post-punk and math rock, with Uncut describing it as "veering from tender and gentle restraint to volatile and discordant bursts of squealing guitar and drums."[6]
The song's narrative came from lead vocalist and guitarist Geordie Greep's love of boxing, feeling that the sport was "the closest thing to the thrill of listening to music."[7] In a press release,[8] he highlighted the themes of violence and spectacle in the song:
Tyler Golsen, writing for Far Out Magazine, said of the song "[it provokes] a visceral response from listeners, whether positive or negative, but that power is something they never wield lightly. This is music that slaps you in the face and commands your full attention."[9] The Fader placed "Sugar/Tzu" at number 30 on their list "The 100 Best Songs of 2022".[10] Atwood Magazine placed it on their own year-end list as well, with Andrew Daly saying of the song and Hellfire "this record is the Trout Mask Replica for the modern era. Heavy praise, to be sure, but well-deserved nonetheless."[11]