Slowyear: ST/EP
Posted by jamie on Oct 30, 2011
Slowyear
ST/EP – Self-released, 2011
28th October 2011
Jamie
There’s something about Slowyear that’s tricky to put your finger on. They’re not reclusive people, but it took them a long time to play their first show, and then, when it happened, it was in their bassist’s house. They don’t make a fuss about much, but their songs fairly drip with heartfelt emotional sincerity.
I try my best not to jump to conclusions like this, but it’s tough not remember the wilfully self-deprecating manner of Hassan’s old band, Four Letter Cure, who took great pride in telling anyone who’d listen that they couldn’t play, didn’t care, and weren’t bothered about being on this stupid stage thank-you-very-much, but gave lie to it all by slaying shows with polished, confident, emotional punk rock, and doing it with speed and precision.
Curiosity having got the better of me, I downloaded Slowyear (from here), found that, while there are a few similarities in the way they approach their music, for the most part that’s where those similarities end.
Slowyear fairly shines: it’s polished enough to show off the quality off the songs and the guile that’s gone in to the arrangements, and yet raw enough to leave all the power in the riffs and the emotional immediacy in the vocals. The lyrics are immediately relatable and, like the arrangements, are strikingly mature, and delivered with sincerity and a punch.
Imagine My Vitriol having a nasty break-up argument with Atwood, and then rebounding messily with The Early November, and you’re most of the way there. Just crank the power chords up a bit.
It’s excellent, and impressively emotionally articulate and musically really mature. It’s easy to forget that these guys are a relatively new band and that this is the first record they’ve made together. It’s dark in places, and moodily atmospheric throughout. The solo in Doors and the wall of sound outro, which sounds enormous for a four-piece band, on Dice stand out even on a disc of this quality. That outro to Dice gradually becomes a group vocal, repeating its single refrain “just share this broken bed with me” as the instruments fade and eventually disappear, to be replaced by the bigger, more powerful intro to the final track Baby Arms, arguably the finest on the EP. Again the guitars here are excellent: impressively versatile and bigger, more powerful than should really be possible.
By incorporating the size and the complexity of progressive, epic rock and the power and emotional intensity of the best melodic punk and post-punk, Slowyear have created something strikingly unique, that’s immediately enjoyable and engaging and ultimately ever so fulfilling. Despite being a new and different sound, this deserves to, and almost certainly will, bring them a lot hype and attention. They won’t be playing house shows for long, and this, their first EP, won’t be a free download forever. Do yourself a favour and get a piece of them now.
Slowyear: first ever show SOON
Posted by jamie on Sep 14, 2011
In a secret location in North London, lo-fi punk recluses Slowyear are getting ready to play their first ever show. This is exciting, because it means that their second show will (hopefully) be soon and somewhere we can all go.
Support will be from Deadmath and the lovely Failure By Design.
Slowyear: finished recording
Posted by jamie on Sep 5, 2011
Slowyear have told us they’ve finished recording. Here’s what they actually said:
