Stateside trio Slothrust fuse the passion of the blues with a modern rock template.
Equally influenced by Robert Johnson and Mudhoney, the sludge-laden thrills of recent album ‘Everyone Else’ became a cult success in North America.
Setting their sights on t’other side of the Atlantic, Slothrust have re-tooled ‘Everyone Else’ for a full UK release.
So here is the brand new video for album highlight ‘Sleep Eater’. Stirring stuff, it’s the perfect entry point for those new to the band Slothrust. “Everyone Else” OUT NOW on Dangerbird Records.
Official music video for “Sleep Eater” from the Slothrust album “Everyone Else”
Slothrust want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been supporting the band since the record came out last October. Serious love to all of y’all who have been listening to us, and buying our music and merch. And of course a big shout out to all the people playing us on the radio. That is a first for us– very exciting! And the fan art some of you have been sending is AMAZING. Truly.
If we are coming to your city, we hope you can make it to one of our gigs. And, if we aren’t able to make it to your city this time around, we will try out best to come there next time.
Check out our regularly updated Van Jams playlist on streaming service Spotify for a taste of what we like listening to on the road. Also feel free to watch our video for “Rotten Pumpkin” if you haven’t already 😉
It is a strange time in America right now and we really appreciate all of those who voiced their support for our outspokenness on the last run, which overlapped with the election. We hope you find each other and work together to make one another feel safe.
Official music video for “Rotten Pumpkin” from the upcoming Slothrust album “Everyone Else”
Slothrust is Leah Wellbaum on guitar and vocals, Kyle Bann on bass, and Will Gorin on drums. About five years ago, they met in the music department at the college Sarah Lawrence, where they became friends and solidified their unique jazz post-punk sound. Since then, they’ve released two albums, 2012’s Feels Your Pain and 2014’s Of Course You Do. Later this year they’ll release their third album Everyone Else, which you’ll want to listen to multiple times, trust me.
Their video for “Horseshoe Crab,” a dark narrative about love, loss, growing up, depression, and existential anxiety. The video takes you on a journey that aptly mirrors the song material, starting with Wellbaum sitting in the sand, surrounded by childhood toys. From there we follow Wellbaum on her journey to destroying said childhood toys, and ends, well, somewhere refreshing.
“‘Horseshoe Crab’ deals with the disorientation that occurs throughout life as you change and age” Wellbaum says. “It also deals with this idea of internal dissociation and existing in various worlds simultaneously. I remember one day I was walking around Union Square in New York. I saw this woman, and I had one of those moments where my hearing almost cut out and I felt like I was underwater. Her face felt two-dimensional and painted, and I found myself afraid. The feeling faded but it did inspire some of these lyrics. It was a really particular feeling. A strange thing is that a year after writing the song I saw this woman again in Union Square. Magnetic!”
“We tried to capture these sentiments in the video by using familiar objects from the past and putting them in a less familiar context. I am a big fan of recontextualisation.”
Official music video for “Horseshoe Crab” from the upcoming Slothrust album “Everyone Else” (coming October 28th)
It’s been a couple years since Slothrust’s debut, “Of Course You Do”. That grungy instant classic made them a band to follow an put in my must see lists, the band’s latest release is looking to repeat or better that offering. “Everyone Else” improves in almost every conceivable way .
Leah Wellbaum’s guitar sounds better, the lyrics are better, the overall sound of the album is more cohesive and accessible literally every part of Everyone Else seems to be prepared in order to launch the band into the mainstream. That’s a shame and a blessing for music fans. Most of what gets written and talked about amongst blogs, and the major publications, follows the trend ie sounds like etc etc, So if you’re down for something new Slothrust is going to be the band to check out. It’s been a long wait for something new from the band, as Wellbaum kept busy with other pursuits. A couple singles have already been released to get you excited. None of them are my favorite from the record, but of the ones out there for you to hear now, I have to say “Like A Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone”
October 27th Everyone Else will be available for all to hear.
Formed amidst the ashes of Leah Wellbaum’s solo project, entitled Slothbox, Slothrust was forged with drummer Will Gorin and bassist Kyle Bann. Thanks to their adept jazz & blues backbone, Slothrust plays deceivingly clever rock with a relentless, punk-as-fuck aesthetic. Though commonly compared to Sonic Youth and Nirvana, Slothrust plays a trickier game than its grunge-revivalist peers. From tender to thrashing and from dark to dorky, Slothrust is a band at constant play with its sonic dynamics and emotional spectrum, yet still manages to weave in ear-worming, cathartic hooks. The band’s second full-length release, Of Course You Do, was released in February 2014 on Ba Da Bing as a follow-up to their 2012 self-released album, Feels Your Pain.
With her deep, charismatic vocals, most reminiscent of Nico with the edge of Isaac Brock circa ‘97, Wellbaum sings about alienation, awkwardness and absurdity, and damn if she doesn’t make it all sound kind of fun. “Crockpot” is a dark, yet funny and irreverent take on the struggle for human connection in a society built to make us feel isolated: “Some men purchase real dolls / to fill the void / But she don’t finish dinner and her expression never changes / Don’t shake hands with the lonely kids ’cause I hear that shit’s contagious”. “Juice” is a paean to realizing the limits of self-improvement: “My name is Leah and I drink juice every morning when I wake up but it’s no use, I’m unwell”. She evokes feeling while sounding despondent, all the while with catchy melodies – pulling off Stephen Malkmus’ Pavement-era feats of writing and delivery. On top of the solid writing and rhythm section, her playing style ranges from simple eloquence to hard-edged, aggressive guitar solos.
Slothrust exemplify how colorful, fun and insightful rock music can be over the course of one song. Need proof? Check out their new jam, “Like a Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone.” The song starts with a great misdirect — singer Leah Wellbaum reflecting over a lilting little acoustic piece — and then drops the elbow. It’s an anthemic kind of thing: easy to roll with for a while, but just as the song revs up, it swiftly changes back to the melody. The twists never feel wrong or out of place; “Like a Child” goes with the flow of what feels right at the time, offering both undeniable rockiness and strange metaphor. The best kind of weird.
Check out “Like a Child Hiding Behind Your Tombstone” below, and pre-order their upcoming full-length record Everyone Else on Dangerbird Records
The Fat Angel Sings 