Slow Fiction sound like a lotta things; there’s all of shoegaze, post-punk, garage rock in there, but you wouldn’t even think about using one of those as a single descriptive adjective for them when there exists the perfect one – New York. Just like the city they hail from can’t be done justice by any of the single facets of its infinite number of ingredients, Slow Fiction isn’t any one thing, it’s intrinsically all of them.
But of course that’s way too vague, so some specifics – think early aughts millennial sleaze run through a Gen Z filter. Yes, there’s more than a little Karen O in Julia Vassallo’s vocals, but she comes from more the quietly intense introvert in the back of the class than the dangerous art-glam-punk girl who doesn’t even show up. Her delivery on top of the churning, layered effected guitars and driving rhythm section make for a sound that’s very familiar but made fresh by attitude and execution.
Following a few promising EPs, they released their debut album Dollhouse earlier this Summer, in time for a tour supporting Swervedriver and it was via this tour that the band elevated themselves from “they sound good” to “they ARE great” in my eyes and ears. I was even willing to forgive their choice to play in almost pitch darkness because it actually worked for them.
Almost any track from Dollhouse would be a worthy introduction to the band, as while one doesn’t necessarily sound like the other, they all sound like the same band, but I’ll go with the album closer because it’s kind of got that big build and grandiose scope and I’m into tremolo as an effect right now.
Of the song, Vassallo says:
When I was younger, I used to love that the word ‘together’ split up was ‘to get her’. At this point, it’s unrealistic to expect every song a woman sings about womanhood or an exploration of existing in a certain body to be uplifting and overtly empowering—that’s not equality. We should be able to express being super existentially depressed about our place in a room, and act weird about it. I don’t think we’re typically allotted that space, especially in certain genres of music and art.”
Julia Vassallo, Slow Fiction
Slow Fiction Paint a Complex Portrait of Womanhood with New Single “turning down flowers” @ Flood
And there’s further press clippings from around the album release and tour:
Interview: Julia Vassallo and Paul Knepple (Slow Fiction) @ The Big Takeover
Their Library: Slow Fiction @ Clash
Backstage with Slow Fiction @ Alternative Press
Slow Fiction Brings Blend of Garage Rock and Dream Pop to the Grog Shop @ Cleveland Scene
