Australian indie-rock band, Slowly Slowly, has recently dropped their 5th studio album, "Forgiving Spree", which is said to be their most made-for-the-stage project yet.
TRACKLIST
Forgiving Spree
Gimme the Wrench
How Are You Mine?
Hurricane
All Time
Love Letters
That’s That
Meltdown Masquerade
Born Free
Slowly Slowly is a 4-piece indie rock group with just a bit of infectious pop flare. The band consists of frontman Ben Stewart, Alex Quayle on bass, Albert Doan on lead guitar, and Patrick Murphy on drums. They debuted together in 2015 with their single "Empty Lungs" and began making a name for themselves in the local Australian music scene. Two of their previous albums, "Race Car Blues" and "Daisy Chain", made it on the ARIA Charts. Throughout the past decade, they've played hundreds of live shows, including their own sold-out headliners, as support for artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Shark, and Ocean Alley, and at music festivals such as Good Things Festival, Splendour in The Grass, NYE On The Hill, and Groovin The Moo. Their brand new fifth studio album, "Forgiving Spree", not only is specifically crafted to be perfect for live shows and to get a crowd going, but is one of the most emotional and vulnerable projects to come from the band so far. Taking influence from artists like The Killers, Bruce Springsteen, John Farnham, Gang of Youths, Stand Atlantic and Pale Waves, Slowly Slowly has a sound that mixes anthemic catharsis with energetic edge. Let's get into these tracks.
Forgiving Spree
We kick off the album with the title track, "Forgiving Spree". This song sets the tone and in Ben Stewart's words, "provides a purpose" for the album. It's about the act of forgiveness in order to move on and benefit your own well-being, whether or not the forgiveness is necessarily deserved or not. Stewart sings of a string of bad luck in life, and how forgiving the ones who have done you wrong doesn't mean you have to ever face them again. You can put it in the past, and finally heal. Do it for yourself, not them. "Forgiving Spree" has a great mixture of emotional relatability while staying danceable and high-energy. It has a nostalgic, 80's pop/rock groove with just the right amount of grit and distortion to add some heaviness. The chorus has a melodic rhythm, a stunning harmony arrangement, and catchy lyrics that get you hooked and ready for more.
Gimme the Wrench
Next, we have "Gimme the Wrench", which is inspired by a scene in the award-winning film written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, "Good Will Hunting". During this scene, the lead character is asked to pick between 3 items in which he will be punished with - a belt, a stick, or a wrench. To prove his strength and put himself to the test, he purposely chooses the most painful option - the wrench. Stewart wrote this song in the midst of chaotic but promising new beginnings, both within the bands career and within their personal lives. Although it was stressful and scary, they were ready to take on whatever was going to be thrown at them with pure determination. "Gimme the Wrench" has mellow verses with smooth vocals and a gorgeous picking pattern on the lead guitar; then once you hit the chorus, you get rock'n'roll power chords while Stewart shouts the title, really emphasizing the perseverance behind the song.
How Are You Mine?
"How Are You Mine?" is about finding that type of love that brings you back to life, and sometimes you just can't bring yourself to believe it's real, but it is. As someone who used to be such a dejected person, you don't understand how someone so wonderful could want to love you and be in your life; however, because they gave you a chance, you feel like a weight has lifted off of your shoulders. Being able to love and love right has given you the opportunity to be the person you were always meant to be. In short, "How Are You Mine?" celebrates finding peace and solidarity with someone after battling with yourself for a long time. This song features a mixture of nostalgic grooves to keep you moving, with guitar and drums taking the lead. Stewart sings powerfully with a bit of a classic tone. The repetitive chorus leaves room for you to sing along, and yes, it definitely gets stuck in your head so get ready!
Hurricane
"Hurricane" is a very vulnerable and personal track written by Ben Stewart, telling the story of finding out his wife was pregnant the day before their wedding, then to suffer a miscarriage four months later. To have such a beautiful and joyous day turn to such tragedy was very painful to deal with; but in turn, Ben was able to create this song along with producer Lucky West, and share his story. By the end of the song, Ben sings of how even though him and his wife have had to go through so much, at the end of the day they still manage to stick together and stay themselves. "Hurricane" is a mid-tempo, emotional punk/rock ballad, with slight synth-pop elements. The key is to focus on the story-telling and lyrics, along with the beautifully crafted melody and raw vocals.
All Time
"All Time" is about two people who are literally soulmates; actual twin flames. Have you ever met someone and felt like you've already known them your whole life? The connection was so instant and you have this weird gut feeling... kind of like deja vu, that you've already met them before? You can just tell in your heart that this person has been the one by your side in every life you've had; and they will continue to be the one now and in every life for the rest of eternity. "All Time" has a two-step beat and soft, dreamy electric guitar. The lyrics are so clever and story-driven, it adds to the addicting nature of this song. The melody is easy to follow, but is an ear-worm to say the least. Everything about this song keeps you on your toes and wanting more, wishing that it would never end - hey, almost like the love story they're singing about.
Love Letters
The story behind "Love Letters" all began when Stewart was teaming up to write with songwriter and producer Courtney Ballard. They started having a conversation about how nobody sends love letters anymore, and then it sparked inside Stewart's head how the songs he writes for his wife are in a way, love letters, but ones that you can listen to. Thus the song "Love Letters" was written with Stewart's wife in mind, and how she's able to have his love letters with her wherever she goes. This song is a banger and a half, with romantic and sensual verses that transition into an energetic chorus with strong electric power chords, flawless vocals and a repetitive but super catchy lyric/melody mixture that is easy to sing along to; and trust me, you'll want to. There's even a bad ass, draw dropping guitar solo that you won't be ready for.
That’s That
"That's That" is a danceable breakup song with lots of confidence and attitude, except there's a moment you realize it might just be a mask to cover up the pain. It's a lot easier to pretend that you don't care whenever someone breaks your heart than it is to show them that they've hurt you. This song has a very heavy 80's pop influence with a rawness to the instrumentation. The drums stand out greatly, with a groovy, popping bass and a mixture of both bright and heavy guitar. The melody, vocal style and stunning harmony arrangements are giving nostalgic boyband vibes in the best way possible. The song builds emotionally and dynamically, having this realness to the sound quality that you don't often hear anymore these days. I just love it. I also can't fail to mention the saxophone solo, which gives the song more life and 80's thrill than you could ask for.
Meltdown Masquerade
"Meltdown Masquerade" is a song Ben Stewart wrote, calling out his younger self and poking fun at all the times he had unnecessary dramatic and emotional moments out of immaturity. I think this is something we can all relate to and admit to at a point in our lives. It takes life experience, growing up, the determination to be better and most of all, courage, to admit when you've been in the wrong or have made a mistake. Going full circle to "Forgiving Spree", you also have to learn to forgive yourself, and in return, love yourself. "Meltdown Masquerade" takes a dark alt. rock approach in it's soundscape, with syncopation in the chorus that gives a slight jazz / funk feel.
Born Free
Last but certainly not least, we have the closing track, "Born Free". Fair warning on this one - please go grab your tissues now. Stewart wrote this song after having several deaths within his family; and with pure soul and raw emotion, he created a masterpiece. This song is so impactful and important that Ben Stewart believes it'll be the song they choose to play at his funeral one day. "Born Free" is a stream of pure poetry and consciousness. For the first four minutes of the song, it's very mellow with soft, distorted 90's guitar and highly emotional vocals, just about on the edge of tears through out. Then, we reach a major climax point, where we go into a full-blown heavy rock soundscape while Ben continues to sing the refrain with tenderness. The track ends with a voice recording that captured Ben and his wife in the moments after he grabbed his guitar and this song just flowed right out of him.
To say I was blown away by this album would be an understatement. To leave me speechless is a rare occurrence. Trying to find the words to describe the amount of talent that went into this just wouldn't ever be enough. Not only are the members of Slowly Slowly just naturally good at what they do, but you can feel their love and pure passion radiating from the music they are creating. "Forgiving Spree" has unskippable tracks, each one so detailed and perfectly crafted with intention for listeners to love without a doubt. It has everything a music lover could ask for - emotion, great lyrics, catchy grooves, fantastic vocals, and a full band instrumentation in each and every song. Like mentioned earlier, this album was made to play live, which is exactly what Slowly Slowly is gonna do with it. After playing a lineup of music festivals, Slowly Slowly will be embarking on their first ever international headlining tour in Europe. Make sure to check out their social links below and see if there's a show near you!
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
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