Slung to Release Debut Album In Ways May 2
Based in Brighton and Hove in the UK, rifftwisting heavy four-piece Slung will make their full-length debut this Spring through Sugar Horse‘s Fat Dracula Records imprint with In Ways. The first single from In Ways is up as of this announcement, audio only and with a video, and “Laughter” offers what feels like a fitting sample of melody, tone, proggy rhythmic intricacy and force of delivery. In what’s perennially among the most crowded national underground pockets the world over, Slung position themselves to stand out from the masses with nuance and personality alike, with Katie Oldham‘s commanding vocals pushing out a hook that doesn’t dumb itself down to meet its audience, instead daring the listener to keep up with the song’s turns. I’ve found in the couple times I’ve listened it’s worth the effort, and so am curious as to how much of In Ways‘ scope the single represents. Haven’t heard it yet, so don’t know. I’ll get there if I’m lucky.
A note to myself here. I’m not sure if In Ways will be a fit to cover or not — I was back and forth on Sugar Horse last year as well with their record — but this is me feeling like further investigation is warranted. The PR wire provided the links, video and a swath of details on the release and background of the band. By all means, peruse on your way to the gutpunch of “Laughter.” And enjoy:
UK’s Heavy Rock Quartet SLUNG Announces Debut Album In Ways, and Unveils Trauma-Fueled, Ribcage-Rattling New Single Laughter.
Somewhere between Mazzy Star and Mastodon, Slung flits masterfully between thundering momentum and sinister riffs, to a vulnerability so delicate it catches you entirely off guard.
Slung are excited to announce their debut album In Ways will be released via Fat Dracula on 2nd May.
They’ve also announced a tour to celebrate the full length, and revealed its first single, the trauma-fueled, ribcage-rattling Laughter.
Vocalist Katie Oldham says “This song is about a face-off that’s been a long time coming, and the difficult relationships we can have with members of our family, especially our parents. When we’re children we’re so desperate for our parents’ attention and approval that their dismissal or rejection can feel agonising. With an emotionally absent parent, trying desperately to earn love or consideration from someone who isn’t capable of giving it can be so destructive. This hurt can often develop into resentment as we age and we may even later villainise this person, wanting to fight, confront, defeat them.”
With a debut duo of singles at the tail end of 2024, Slung’s sounds piqued interest among discerning ears across the industry and internet. They’ve also been working hard in the real, physical world, earning a legion of fans the old fashioned way, by hitting the road hard before they’d even released a note of music. They’ll continue this with a tour to celebrate the release of debut album In Ways this spring.
In Ways is a collaborative combustion of its members’ experiences, circumstances and supreme musicianship. Their sonic universe – comprising the power of guitarist Ali Johnson’s incendiary riffs, vocalist Katie Oldham’s enviable dynamic and tonal range, bassist Vlad Matveikov’s undulating, yet grounding basslines and drummer Ravi Martin’s expert rhythmic punctuation – is a veritable musical supernova. Influences within the Slung camp are far reaching, with the band’s members referencing artists from Deftones and Baroness, to Wednesday and MJ Lenderman, to Queens of the Stone Age and even a sprinkling of Chappell Roan and Fleetwood Mac.
Initially the brainchild of Vlad, whilst he was living in Brighton, Slung were some time in the making. He tells of randomly meeting Ali at a campground in Australia in 2009, falling in love with Katie during lockdown and hearing a demo of drummer Ravi Martin’s old band in his other role running indie label Small Pond. The kernel of an idea for Slung began to germinate when Vlad’s previous band InTechnicolour disbanded, as he began to formulate new musical ideas, not knowing where they would lead him.
Vlad started out by working with like-minded vocalists such as Ash Tubb (Sugar Horse), Zac Jackson (El Moono), Lucy Sheehan (Projector), Annie Dorret (CLT DRP) and Micahel Barton (Sick Joy). Bringing Katie on board as vocalist was its own journey. “First thing you need to know is that Vlad is an absolute machine,” she states, matter-of-factly. “He has creativity, passion and drive like nothing else, and an ability to ‘get shit done’ that is second to none. He approached me about two years ago with these demos to see if I wanted to work with him as a vocalist, and maybe try turning them into a band. I *totally* bitched out,” she admits, laughing.
“My previous band (Sit Down) had only very recently fallen apart and my confidence was in the gutter – I just didn’t feel ready. But immediately from working with him (on just one track to begin with), I felt incredibly reassured and encouraged by him, and it was such a different songwriting experience than I’d had before. After about a year of convincing and with Vlad having successfully recruited Ali and Ravi, I finally took the plunge and joined.” Having found a musical home that really fits, she now remarks poignantly to the rest of the group and their journey together: “I can’t remember when you all became main characters in my life”.
Tracklist
01. Laughter
02. Class A Cherry
03. Come Apart
04. Collider
05. Matador
06. Limassol
07. Heavy Duty
08. Thinking About It
09. In Ways
10. Nothing Left
11. Falling Down
Live dates (Tickets available here: https://slungband.com/pages/tickets)
02 May Winchester – The Railway Inn
03 May Brighton – Green Door Store
04 May Cheltenham – Frog & Fiddle
05 May Reading – Purple Turtle
08 May Southampton – Heartbreakers
09 May Northampton – The Garibaldi
15 May Guildford – The Boileroom
16 May Nottingham – JT Soar
17 May Norwich – Voodoo Daddy’s
23 May Bristol – Exchange (basement)
24 May Cardiff – Paradise Garden
29 May Tunbridge Wells – Forum (basement)
30 May Leeds – Wharf Chambers
31 May London – The Victoria
06 June Alton – The Lounge Bar
https://slungband.com
https://instagram.com/s.l.u.n.g
https://facebook.com/slungband
https://youtube.com/@Slungband
https://fatdracularecords.myshopify.com
https://sugarhorse.bandcamp.com/
