Takeda Blaze a Trail with Fiery Folk-Rock Anthem ‘Sugar Mountain’

Takeda’s latest single, Sugar Mountain, arrives like a bolt of lightning ahead of their debut album In Venus’ Train, due out September 17th via Drongo Records. A jiving folk-rock burner packed with both grit and grace, the track finds the Norwich quartet channeling the raw energy of their live shows into something deeply evocative and sonically rich. Produced by David Pye (Szun Waves, Trudy & the Romance), Sugar Mountain pulses with urgency, blending poetic lyricism and radiant melodies into a sound that is both familiar and thrillingly unhinged.

From its opening moments of crunchy acoustic guitar and pulsing rhythm section, the track steadily climbs in intensity, culminating in a wall-of-sound climax where Josh Harrison’s impassioned vocals truly soar. There’s a delicate balance at play here—between control and chaos, between folk intimacy and alt-rock ferocity. Harrison’s vocal performance is a revelation, drifting from hushed confessions to full-throated catharsis, underscored by tight, dynamic interplay from the band. The result is a song that feels both deeply personal and explosively cathartic, like a pressure valve being released in real time.

What makes Sugar Mountain especially compelling is the story behind it—Harrison’s escape from a cult in rural England and the musical rebirth that followed. That backstory hums beneath the surface of the song, infusing every distorted chord and lyrical turn with the weight of lived experience. With a sound that draws from both British folk traditions and the heavier textures of grunge and alt-rock, Takeda carve out a bold new space—something mythic yet modern. If Sugar Mountain is the first taste, In Venus’ Train promises to be one of the most arresting and original debuts of the year.