Alex G, aka Sandy Alex G, has been steadily building one of the most interesting catalogs in indie music, and with House of Sugar, he's crafted an album that might just be his masterpiece. I caught up with him to talk about the meticulous yet cohesive nature of the record, his approach to hooks, the balance of instrumentals and lyrics, and—because the internet is a weird place—how he accidentally became a meme when people mistook him for Beto O’Rourke.
Layering Without Overcrowding
One of House of Sugar’s defining characteristics is its ability to pack in layers without ever feeling overwhelming. Every song is a tapestry of melodies, but it never becomes cluttered. So how does Alex know when to stop?
“There’s no real method,” he admits. “Most songs start with a chord structure and a melody, and then I just keep adding and adding. Over months, I revisit them—taking stuff away, adding more, stripping it down again. It’s kind of like whittling.”
While some artists shy away from hooks, Alex embraces them. “That’s just what resonates with me,” he says. “Every part of a song should have something interesting happening melodically.”
The Instrumentals Demand Attention
A lot of albums use instrumental tracks as mere bridges, but on House of Sugar, they hold just as much weight as the lyrical songs.
“I know when a song is going to be ‘weird,’” he laughs. “But as far as whether it ends up with lyrics or not, that’s not a priority when I’m making it.”
Songs like “Sugar” and “Project 2” stand out for their sonic experimentation. “They just keep me excited,” he explains. “I need to throw a wrench into things sometimes.”
The Meaning of the Lyrics—Or Lack Thereof
Alex is known for being cagey about the meaning of his lyrics, and he prefers them to be open-ended.
“I spend a lot of time on lyrics, but I don’t need people to spend a lot of time trying to figure them out,” he says. “I like them to be opaque enough for someone to project their own meaning onto them, but still specific enough that they move me when I’m writing them.”
I mention that his approach reminds me of early R.E.M., where Michael Stipe’s lyrics were abstract but still emotionally powerful. “Yeah, I think I get what you mean,” he says. “I try to use universal imagery so it works like a Rorschach test.”
A Reflection of America?
With a title like House of Sugar, which references both a casino and the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale, it’s hard not to see a bigger picture—especially in today’s America.
“That makes perfect sense to me,” Alex says. “I was thinking about characters indulging in things that end up leading to their own demise. But there are also lyrics that don’t relate to that at all. Maybe 70% of the time, that’s what I was going for.”
One line in particular—“Good people gotta fight to exist” from “Gretel”—feels especially timely. “I like the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in lyrics because they’re so subjective and manipulative,” he explains. “I don’t want people to think I’m saying I’m the good person in that song.”
The Beto O’Rourke Meme That Wasn’t
And then there’s the weirdest moment of Alex’s year: when a photo of him, mid-beer spill, was widely misidentified as a picture of Beto O’Rourke urinating himself.
“I laughed harder than I had in a long time,” he says. “I was flabbergasted. My friend from high school sent me the picture, and I posted it online because it was too funny. That post got way more engagement than my album announcement. That’s the internet for you.”
Closing With a Live Track
The album ends with the epic “SugarHouse,” a live recording that stands out on an otherwise studio-driven record.
“I was listening to Harvest Moon by Neil Young, and he’s got at least one live song on there,” he says. “I loved the way it felt, like it added this weird mood to the record. I wanted to capture that, but I still don’t know how to describe why it works.”
As for the audience reaction? “You can tell they didn’t know the song yet,” he laughs. “People just don’t care when you play a new song live. It’s like that story about Led Zeppelin playing ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for the first time—Jimmy Page said the crowd looked bored.”
With House of Sugar, Alex G has once again proven himself as one of the most fascinating and unpredictable songwriters out there. And whether he’s pushing sonic boundaries, playing with lyrical ambiguity, or accidentally going viral, he’s always keeping things interesting.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.
