Although we've lived through a pandemic the better part of the past 16-plus months, that hasn't deterred Brisbane synth-pop band Action Slacks who have been piecing together a number of singles that has led to the recent release of their debut EP, 'Voids'.
With '80s pop melodies that shimmer layered over modern production that filters strong nostalgia feels, Action Slacks have crafted a collection of songs synth-pop fans of any age will find engaging.Songs that explore toxic relationships, heartbreak and unrequited love, the band took control of the recording aspect of the EP as well.
"The initial concept behind the EP was for us to take on as much of the production and recording ourselves," band member Levi Russell explains, "which was somewhat a natural progression for the band, but also a necessity due to the nature of the last 12 months.
"The process forced us to dig deeper into aspects of the production than we had previously, allowing us to expand on ideas further and take time to let the songs fully develop."
Here, the band walk us through each track featured on 'Voids' with insights and stories behind the creation process.
Find A Way
This one is a super fun one. Basically it started as a love song, but we decided that we wanted to tell the song from the perspective of someone that was super different from us. So naturally, we chose a serial killer.The song is still a love song, but really about a one-sided obsession, and if it doesn't go the person's way they're going to make the other person stay, no matter the cost.
Rapid Fire
'Rapid Fire' was the first song we wrote together as a group, and it was smack bang in the height of COVID lockdown. I think the major thing about this song is we were all feeling frustrated, we wanted to get together and start making music properly again, so I think that's where the first ideas for the songs began.The song itself is about breaking free from something that is holding you back, so pretty fitting with the whole COVID situation – releasing an EP even though we have been stuck indoors for so much of 2020.
Purple Nights
As the writing for the EP began to take shape it started calling for an interlude track, something to divide the first and second halves of the EP.We set up in the studio and started playing with some initial ideas; Levi was playing some lush synth pads and Rich played the guitar leads, all over the top of the pulsing drum machine loop. After some refinement and adjustment, by the end of the day the track was done.
Over and Over
This is definitely the most dancey, upbeat song on the EP. It started off super slow, but we revised it loads and one day Levi spent all day in the studio and came out with this. We were all super stoked to hear it for the first time – it was just so much fun!The song itself is about having a toxic back and forth relationship with someone, but you keep going back even though you know you're both bad for each other. It's all about passion, and the high energy of the song really encapsulates that I think.
The New Violence Sequence
This was another song that we wrote through the eyes of someone else. This one is a story of someone who is caught between this weird limbo/ void and they are slipping further and further away from reality until they basically become a part of the void.The really fun part of this one was creating the different personas during the bridge. We basically created a conversation between the character in the song and the monsters that she is running from. It can also be interpreted as being swallowed by the darkness inside yourself and losing yourself in the process. Either way this was a super fun song to work on.
Action Slacks play Wrangler Studios (Melbourne) 16 July and O'Skulligans (Brisbane) 23 July.
