SUMO CYCO – AN IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH SKYE SWEETNAM
Photo Credit: Sophie Harris
By Ralph Beauchamp
Sumo Cyco is a Canadian powerhouse. The genre-bending ensemble is set to light the musical hemisphere on blazing fire with the release of their upcoming full length entitled Neon Void (October 24). In the meantime, Sumo Cyco has treated the masses to several hard hitting singles. Their newest, “Boring” is anything but. The brazen track is full of dramatic riffs and emboldened vocals. Speaking of the song, lead singer Skye Sweetnam shares: “this song is about the challenge to keep the adventure going in the face of routine and the predictable. Life can feel like a grind, but we always have the choice to be vibrant and push ourselves outside of our comfort zones.”
Another recently released song by Sumo Cyco is “Asteroid”. The track features a driving cadence and a fierce vibe. It hits you like an aural avalanche. Right in the gut. Sweetnam’s vocals are fearless with merciless inflections. The guitars wail with tenacious audacity and the backbeat is aggressively supersized. “Asteroids” is simply a killer track that will grab you by the throat and won’t let go. Listen with caution.
Sumo Cyco is comprised of Sweetnam (Lead Vocals), Matt Drake (Guitar/Backing Vocals0, and Oscar Anesetti (Bass/Backing Vocals). Neon Void was produced by Salvatore Sam Guiana (Silverstein /Neck Deep /The Devil Wears Prada) and Matt Drake. It was recorded at the Sumo Cyco church studio in Ontario. The 12 tracks aren’t just an album; they’re a fierce explosion of raw emotion, fire, and defiant hope forged in the crucible of struggle. From the first thunderous chord to the last lingering echo, this record seethes with a visceral intensity.
Skye Sweetnam was kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth interview
AMP: Can you give our readers a brief history of the band?
SKYE: Sumo Cyco started in 2011 by Matt Drake and me, Skye Sweetnam. Matt was a hired gun for my solo project, and we toured together for years and gained a lot of experience in the industry. After some ups and downs with our previous separate projects, we were ready to try something new. We decided to join forces and write some tracks inspired by all our favorite bands and influences. We love DIY film and thought we’d make some music videos and throw our tracks up on the net to see what people thought.
Matt and I had some of our previous followers jump on board the Sumo Cyco train. Some were shocked at my transition from pop to metal and weren’t as interested. One of the key moments that helped us gain initial traction was the time we filmed a viral fail video. I got struck in the head with a ceiling fan during a music video shoot. We caught it on camera and used the accident to promote our track. At the time, there was a massive YouTube channel called “=3” and the host, Ray William Johnson, featured our video, helping us gain some new followers. The video views went from a couple thousand to 100’s of thousands.
Another moment was in 2014, we won Indie Week Canada and won a trip to play in Ireland. We crowdfunded with our fans so we could extend the trip and tour the UK. This is where we started to grow an international following by playing live. Crowdfunding became key to our success. That’s how we funded two of our previous albums, Opus Mar (2017) & Initiation (2021), which led to a lot of great tour opportunities that helped our band gain even more momentum.
We toured bands such as Jinjer, The Birthday Massacre, Nonpoint, and Butcher Babies, to name a few, and were happy to always meet fans at the merch table after the shows. One by one, we have continued to win over supporters who have been the lifeblood of this band. To this day, I continue to direct and produce all the music videos and keep a fierce DIY attitude.
AMP: What’s the band’s internal energy like?
SKYE: Matt and I live together and work together at our home and converted church studio. We are both obsessed with creating and navigating this industry, so it’s really a 24/7 all-encompassing lifestyle. We work at all hours, chat about business over dinner, and there’s always someone playing an instrument or working on a video edit when we’re home. When we’re on the road, we’re like Mom and Dad to the other members. Oscar (our bassist) has been with us for years and is such a super cool, chill guy who happens to be a beast on bass.
Many of our fans are aware that our drummer, Joey, who’s played with us for the last couple of years, was in a serious car accident the day we were starting pre-production for this album. Thankfully, he is OK but still has some recovery to do. So even in this record cycle, we’ve had three drummers help us for various shows and videos. Starting to feel like Spinal Tap over here!
AMP: Your single “Asteroid” is a complete hyper romp. Can you give us a little insight into the track?
SKYE: Hell yeah! As is typical with Sumo Cyco, Matt produced the instrumental for “Asteroid”, and I took it and ran with some lyric and melody ideas. So, I was wracking my brain for a good, powerful line for the chorus, and “Every ripple starts with a stone” lyric came rushing into my subconscious. I typically don’t write songs with one perspective in mind. I usually want most songs I write to have room to be interpreted, and have multiple angles that can inspire a concept. For me, “Asteroid” could be written as a powerful self-realization of what you can accomplish, OR as a warning that a desire to make an impact on history can also leave carnage in your wake.
AMP: Now can you give us a little insight about your new single “Boring”?
SKYE: “BORING” was one of the last songs we wrote for NEON VOID and really rounded out the record. After I heard the riff Matt was working on, I knew it would be a banger; so groovy and addictive. I tend to go overboard and write tons of melody and lyrics, but in this instance, we were conscious to let the song breathe and have space for the music and the riff to live. It’ll also give me an opportunity to rage around the stage live, which I’m not mad about at all! Lyrically, I was inspired by us weirdos who don’t follow the typical path in life. The ones that take the road less travelled, take the trip to the rock show, and embrace the freak inside.
AMP: Continuing the discussion, your new album Neon Void drops 10/14. Do you feel it’s an evolution in musical style from your previous material?
SKYE: This record is still very much our personality and signature Sumo Cyco style. I will say, we wrote over 60 songs before settling on this track listing, and that’s not something we have ever done before. Maybe in the past we’d have a handful of tracks that missed the mark for the record, but that’s it. We knew that it was important to try new things to keep evolving as a band, and that’s where we integrated some songs I wrote on Piano (“Stronger Now”, “Pain/Love”).
Matt bought me a used upright grand during the pandemic, and it uncovered a long-lost love of the instrument from my youth. With Matt’s help, I gained more confidence as someone who not only is a topline writer, but I can also structure the music as well. It really was a great gift and therapy for me to write those songs. Although many of the piano songs are in the bulk of those 60 tracks that didn’t cut, as a personal achievement, it felt fulfilling to keep perfecting my craft.
AMP: Neon Void was produced by Salvatore Sam Guiana & Matt. How was it like working with Sam in the studio?
SKYE: Sam was great! Such a fast and laser-focused worker! Sam did us a solid and worked out of our studio so we could save some cash and be around home. It was an intense month, every day in the studio just hammering out the songs. We have never worked like that before. Usually, we’re writing one track here and there, but being in studio mode for that many days straight really has us all consumed with the project. I think sonically Sam really homed in on our sound and helped us gain that glossy finish to the songs in the mix.
AMP: This is a question I ask many female artists, do you feel women in today’s metal scene are getting their just rewards?
SKYE: I do see so many more females in the scene now than when I started 15 years ago. Back then, I knew the names of every single woman in the genre because it felt like we were so far and few between. Now I see these bands popping up like hotcakes and I think, “About TIME!” Here’s where we have to give some props to the women I’ve toured with, Tati of Jinjer, Heidi & Carla of the Butcher Babies, for example, who I really learned so much from. Watching them perform every night forced me to rise to their level in every aspect. I was humbled and grateful to feel welcomed as part of the women in metal blazing a path for future generations.
AMP: What kind of impact do you feel your music has on your fans?
SKYE: We have very close relationships with some of our fans because they have seen us navigate through the industry for years now. They were the first to support with crowdfunding campaigns, watched us grow, and gave us support when our vehicle got broken into or when our drummer had an accident. We have fans who have flown around the world to support us, and some who have confided in us with their struggles and personal stories.
It becomes an investment that they made to support us, and an investment we make to keep making music. It’s hard to say what impact the music has on them because we aren’t privy to the energy that they feel when our song hits their eardrums, but I think it’s damn cool that once the music is released, it means something different to each person. Maybe it’s attached to a memory or a place or a person, and it’s completely out of my hands at that point.
AMP: With the rise of social media, do you feel a band needs to constantly submit new content to remain relevant?
SKYE: We have embraced a lot of different technologies and media in our time. It’s been something we have always been acutely aware of, from investing in video content early on, and learning how to create our content on a budget. It’s a necessity for our survival. With that said, I do think the direction in which social media has headed, with so much focused on ad revenue and data collection instead of just a place to foster community, is very sad and predatory.
We are essentially working for these billion-dollar corporations for free by constantly making content for their platforms as they slowly remove the access we once had to our own followers and subscribers. I have used these platforms to connect with new people, and I’ve found the last few years have been harder and harder to break through the noise. So in response to that, I created our fan-only community, ONLY CYCOS on our website, which hopes to build a community that is not dependent on the ever-changing algorithm.
AMP: Do you feel the world is ready for the madness Sumo Cyco is about to unleash?
SKYE: Haha, I hope they’re ready! Sometimes I wonder if we’re a bit too mad and I wonder if that scares people away! All in all, I hope those fans on the fence can give us a chance because it takes a few listens to decode us. We may have some elements in our music that aren’t typical, and it takes a music adventurer to embark on new sonic territory. I don’t think our fans are trend followers at all. I take pride in our live show and hope more people can witness that madness there, because it really is at the core of who we are.
AMP: What’s next for Sumo Cyco?
SKYE: We are working on a couple more music videos to round out this record release that will be self-directed and continue the Neon Void theme; stuck in a maze in purgatory. I’m really stoked to finally get this baby out into the world! We’re definitely looking forward to touring this new music, and I know fans have been waiting for far too long. Stay tuned for more merch drops, tour dates, and I encourage everyone to check out our fan community, ONLY CYCOS, as well as PRE-ORDER the ALBUM!!!
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