Melbourne rock band Slowly Slowly will release their sophomore album, 'St. Leonards', this month.
Ben Stewart, songwriter and frontman for the band, says the group’s new label, UNFD, gave the band strict deadlines that allowed them more time post-production to settle and self-analysis the album.
“It’s been a much nicer process because we get to kind of listen back to the record and reflect on it before we show the world.”
Prior to signing with UNFD, the band would “work right up to the release date” on a project Ben says, adding that the new structure has “made everything a lot more streamlined”.
One aspect that hasn't changed is the band's approach to recording. Ben says it was important they kept the album production in-house.
‘St. Leonards’ was produced by Ben and the band’s bassist, Alex Quayle. “We’re real sticklers for what we want to hear back and how we want the songs to be presented,” Ben says.
“In terms of handing over the reins to someone else and letting them drive, we’d be pretty reluctant [to do that].”
Overall, Ben says doing it their way – recording after hours at Alex’s workplace studio – was worth it. “It’s a really nice process when you are learning together and doing a project like this.
"In the end it makes it worthwhile when you hold it… We’re going to be holding hundreds of hours of work.”
Slowly Slowly have released two singles already from the new album - ‘Aliens’ and ‘Alchemy’ - both with videos. ‘Alchemy’ was premiered by Richard Kingsmill on triple j in March and has since been added to the station's regular rotation.
Ben says the reception has been both exciting and humbling. “We’ve been really happy with how the singles have been received.
"That song ['Alchemy'] in particular was difficult for me and Alex because I guess I was fighting against myself a little bit because the content is a little more celebratory than my usual style of writing. So I kind of didn’t know how it was going to fit with the other stuff.
“I’m at a really nice place in my life at the moment and that song represents the flipside of the coin. I wanted to have something on there that was a bit more hopeful than the dark and brooding stuff that we’ve done in the past.”
The band is set to tour the country in May with the first show in Launceston, a place Ben says holds a special place in the hearts of the band members. “We can’t go past Tassie. I think we have this strange affinity and always have.
"We play quite a lot in Launceston and there’s a beautiful group of people down there that have supported our band from the very beginning. They love to party.”
On top of the Tasmanian leg, the band can’t wait to visit cities all over the country before returning home for a Melbourne finale. “This is the first time the shows interstate have been selling out. We’ve been lucky enough that our shows in Melbourne have a really loyal, strong following, but [it] does feel like that is translating interstate.”
'St. Leonards' is released 11 May.
Slowly Slowly Tour Dates
Fri 11 May - Saloon Bar (Launceston)Sat 12 May - Hobart Brewing Co. (Hobart)
Fri 25 May - Crowbar (Brisbane) - SOLD OUT
Sat 26 May - The Chippo Hotel (Sydney) - SOLD OUT
Sat 2 Jun - The Edinburgh Castle (Adelaide) - SOLD OUT
Thu 7 Jun - Amplifier Bar (Perth)
Sat 9 Jun - Mojos Bar (Fremantle)
Sat 16 Jun - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne) - SOLD OUT
