When Nothing On dropped earlier this year – closer to a boy-band earworm than Slowly Slowly have shimmied to date – some fans of the band’s rockier output were taken aback. But then the accompanying film clip dropped – with its playful, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic – giving diehards permission to embrace this sonic detour.
Daisy Chain is most definitely a new creative direction for Slowly Slowly, who are clearly not afraid to embrace pop sensibilities at present. Drip-feeding a few singles to gradually unveil their vision for album number four, prior to its release, was a savvy move.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
The record contains some pogo-friendly party-starters (see: Forget You, with its swirling riffs, punchy drumming and irresistible lyrical twist: “I’ve gotta remember to try and forget you”), but upbeat instrumentation often conceals downhearted lyrical content (eg. Longshot: “I tell you I’m fine, but fuck my life”).
“What good is good advice if it’s my Achilles’ heel?/ I think I need therapy, something’s wrong…” – a cry for help, Achilles’ Heel – instrumentally – is a cheerful bop.
After noticing he’d written from a place of caricature in the past, vocalist Ben Stewart was determined to kick that habit here. And he lays it all out there! His emotive, quivering vocal delivery during Papier-Mâché – a piano ballad – closes out this stunning collection on a raw, crushing note: “It’s too late for me/ It’s too late.”
Label: UNFD
Release date: 4 November
