Slothrust share their big, summer single, “Once More For The Ocean,” today from their highly anticipated fifth album, Parallel Timeline, due out September 10, 2021 via Dangerbird Records. The new track is accompanied by a brand new music video that mirrors the song’s love for the ocean and questions the mysticism and duality of self and through a quest for meaning — and it comes complete with yet another epic guitar solo from Slothrust bandleader Leah Wellbaum. On the new song, she says:
“This song felt like it was handed to me by the ocean. It came to me when I was sitting on some rocks and staring at one of my favorite oceans in the world, on Star Island off the coast of Rye, New Hampshire. The bass line arrived first, and then the melody and the lyrics came at the same time. I didn’t have an instrument with me that week so I sang what I had into my phone notes and carried on with my day, almost forgetting about it entirely. I have a unique relationship with this song because it felt like it came through me more than from me, though I recognize that really there is no difference. It is not the easiest song to sing or explain. At times I even wondered if it might be suited for a different artist. However after sitting with it for a while I have come to the conclusion that this song was meant for me and it is about the search for a greater consciousness in times of chaos. For me that feeling of oneness often shows up when I am spending time in nature.”
On the video, she adds, “This video is about an epic search. So many times when we are searching we are looking outside of ourselves because it is the only way we know. But the truth is, what we are really looking for lives within. It is ourselves that we are looking for. Sometimes we just aren’t quite sure which self it is, or how to get there.
I have always been interested in the intersection of destiny, and free will. Do these things exist? Can we ever really know them? Since this song came to me while I was staring at the ocean, it only felt right to explore this idea with nature, and also with mirrors.”
The band’s previous single, “Strange Astrology,” arrived along with a fun and fruity video that’s as much a celebration of the cosmic make-up of romantic relationships as it is a love letter to LGBTQ+ culture. Leah Wellbaum pours her gigantic, golden sunshine Leo heart into the lyrics, “and I don’t mind / our strange astrology / I hope we find / you bring the best out in me.” Leaning into the zodiac theme, the band has also released Mind Your Mood an astrologically personalized playlist generator that serves fans a playlist based upon their sun sign.
With scores of viable candidates stepping up to claim the mantle of the Very Saddest Girl In Rock, Wellbaum focuses her talents in the pursuit of the confidence that comes from grounding and self-awareness, themes evidenced in the single and video for “Cranium” that debuted in February.
The new album vividly captures Wellbaum’s powerful voice as a songwriter, lyricist and guitar player and demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and emotional confidence that has deepened in scope as the band’s profile has steadily risen. With bandmates Will Gorin (drums) and Kyle Bann (bass) rounding out the trio’s essential framework, Wellbaum’s quirky visual and tactile inspirations come to life. Complex, drenched in honey, sweet, uncomfortable and as wild and chaotic as love is, there is beauty and wonder that’s rainbow bright. Every feeling and every color in nature are welcome in the world of Slothrust and get to exist in their Parallel Timeline.
The new album vividly captures Wellbaum’s powerful voice as a songwriter, lyricist and guitar player and demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and emotional confidence that has deepened in scope as the band’s profile has steadily risen. With bandmates Will Gorin (drums) and Kyle Bann (bass) rounding out the trio’s essential framework, Wellbaum’s quirky visual and tactile inspirations come to life. Complex, drenched in honey, sweet, uncomfortable and as wild and chaotic as love is, there is beauty and wonder that’s rainbow bright. Every feeling and every color in nature are welcome in the world of Slothrust and get to exist in their Parallel Timeline.
LA-by-way-of-NYC band, Slothrust, released their fourth LP, The Pact in 2018, and their follow-up EPs — If You Took Me To The Zoo (NoiseTrade) and Peach — followed in 2019. Their 2019 mix of hit single “Double Down” was worked on by 5-time Grammy-award-winning American mix engineer Chris Lord Alge.
The band’s dynamic evolution through experimentation and exploration continues to uplevel with each effort. With millions of streams on Spotify, it’s clear that new fans are joining the Slothrust movement, especially after their tour with Highly Suspect and their festival performances at Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Epicenter in Charlotte and Bottlerock in Napa during 2019. The band’s influence has expanded drastically since their first album in 2012.
The band appeared on FX‘s “You’re The Worst,” and not only performed as a punk band on an episode of the show, but also had their songs “Double Down” and “Some Kind of Cowgirl” featured in other scenes. Slothrust’s 2012 single “7:30 AM” is the show’s theme song, as well.
A thunderously versatile and agile band, Slothrust’s live show has driven much of the band’s widening success. Fans blissfully revel in guitar epics from the band’s original growing catalog, and a selection of inventive covers (“…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears and “Sex and Candy” by Marcy Playground, for example). Get a taste of their live show by checking out their Audiotree session, and stay tuned for the moment when they can safely hit the road again to unleash their magic in real life, once again.
BIO
Leah Wellbaum has never been afraid of her own humility or honesty. But she’s never quite examined it the way she has now with Parallel Timeline.
On Slothrust’s latest album, bandleader Leah Wellbaum pushed herself to try and understand her own spirituality on a deeper level, putting a lens on the core wound of the human experience, the idea that we’re alone. With Parallel Timeline, Wellbaum explores the feeling of being trapped inside her own consciousness while simultaneously searching for a meaningful connection to the universe, and all the mysteries it contains.
During the writing process, Wellbaum sought to connect with her inner child – a voice that allows ideas to flow freely and without censorship. Ultimately, it allowed her to find poetic catharsis. The album’s artwork and visuals reflect that ethos as well. For her, inverted colored rainbows and orbs became a gateway to exploring the illusory things we see and experience in everyday life. The iconography of this record explores the space where science and the whimsical intersect, and where the unfamiliar becomes hardly recognizable. She is a strong believer that nothing is quite as it seems, and that a greater reality exists beyond what the human eye can see.
In advance of recording their fifth studio album, Leah, along with drummer Will Gorin, and bassist/producer Kyle Bann, sought to dramatically expand the band’s sonic palette. Slothrust put an emphasis on incorporating new production techniques and processes into the established Slothrust sound, resulting in an extraordinary amount of experimental demo recordings, many elements of which appear themselves on the final record. They leaned into risk-taking — a freedom that comes with having been in a band together for more than 10 years, cultivating new sonic realms for each track. Leah sought to craft unique and calculated guitar parts instead of continuous bursts of wall-to-wall sound, and in turn delivers what will likely be considered a “how-to manual” for guitar playing in the next decade.
“On this record, I wanted to be even more precise with the guitar parts as opposed to creating a guitar palette, because a lot of artists, us included, have made songs that are so chock-full of guitar that distinct parts becomes a blur,” says Wellbaum. “I enjoy making that choice when it’s right but it’s the contrast of those things that I like to lean into. I strive to make the guitar sing like a human voice.”
Educated musicians all with backgrounds in classical, jazz and blues, the band’s newest work once again sees Slothrust leaning into improvisation — something that in the past has lent itself to the infectious energy of their live shows. Parallel Timeline, mixed by industry legend Billy Bush and mastered by Heba Kadry is a masterclass in balancing tenderness with the fierce guitar work Leah has become known for. With a distinct yet unified sound that blends progressive rock, acoustic and pop, Slothrust has never been more confident.
The backbone of the 10-track record is Leah’s spiritual journey and presence as a guitar god. Opener “Cranium” features a blues-tinged guitar solo inspired by Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” that is so expressive it sings. ““The song addresses absurd ways to love someone or something, and feels very on-theme with things not always being what they appear at first,” says Wellbaum of the track. “It also touches on tenderness being painful, which I think is very true of me as someone who has spent a lot of my life trying to be very tough.”
With catchy grunge-rock jaunt “Once More For The Ocean” and the slow-burning ballad “King Arthur’s Seat,” Leah didn’t have access to an instrument when she wrote them. Instead the lyrics, she felt, were channeled through her as she stared into nature, reflecting the idea of oneness that she was searching for. Inspired by both Scotland and Billy Joel, “King Arthur’s Seat” also “addresses this core human wound that will come up time and time again for all of us, which is the feeling of being alone and separate and not really knowing what to do with that,” Wellbaum says.
With soaring guitar-riffs and Leah’s twinkling harmonies, the ethereal “Waiting” further contemplates the idea of wanting to heal yourself but not knowing how. In the track, connecting with nature – in this case, birds — is a balm. Penned with singer Donna Missal, “The Next Curse” was intended to be a “spell,” but it ended up being a curse. Flanked by thunderous guitars and Leah’s haunting vocals, the blistering rock anthem explores how even among the world’s destruction we still don’t take the time to take care of ourselves: “Earth’s gonna set on fire/But still I wait.” Producer Billy Bush’s influence shines on this track with burly guitars, Leah’s haunting vocals, and a fantastic display of vocal harmony in a feature from Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale. “Billy has that perfect balance of someone who is just easy to be around, totally gets the joke and is available to laugh and chat, but also is incredibly focused,” says Wellbaum. “His ears are magical.”
Slothrust shines particularly within its softer moments on the record. “Strange Astrology” is a stripped-down love song dedicated to Leah’s girlfriend of six years that meditates on astrological compatibility. The hymnal “Courtesy” ties into the record’s overall theme of spirituality and desire to feel connected. “I won’t ask you again if you give it to me/I won’t say it again if you get it the first time,” Leah sings.
While the majority of songs were written pre-pandemic, “A Giant Swallow” was not. The lullaby-like acoustic track unites the record and serves as a roadmap for Slothrust’s previous work, referencing lyrics spanning as early as their first record. Recalling the sweet harmonies of “Courtesy” and “Waiting,” Leah reflects on her search for the unified space. “I’ll return to the ocean/Return to the womb again/Inside of the Mother/Won’t have any questions then,” she sings with a gentle lilt. – Ilana Kaplan
“You’re never going to fully figure out Slothrust, but rest assured, it’s well worth the effort… the LA-by-way-of-New York power trio is a juggernaut of cannonball riffs and lyrical intrigue.”— Billboard
“Listen to songs by Slothrust, and you’ll hear aggressive sounds that hearken back to early-’90s rock bands like Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. Listen more closely, and you’ll also hear elements of the blues that the band’s members learned when they met in their college’s jazz program.”— NPR
“Parallel Timeline expands Slothrust’s sonic palette… to incorporate new production techniques and processes into experimental demos which served as a template for the final album.”— Consequence of Sound
NEW ALBUM PARALLEL TIMELINE DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 – PRE-SAVE THE ALBUM!
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