SLØTFACE • www.slotface.bandcamp.com
SHELF LIVES • www.bio.site/shelflives
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Evolution is part of being human – as people, we are constantly adapting to the challenges fate offers us. Even our bodies renew themselves: our hair grows, our wounds heal. Recently, Haley Shea, a founding member of the pop-punk band Sløtface, has found herself on the precipice of such growth, brought on by big changes in her life. It has meant an altered outlook, and a thrilling left-turn for Sløtface, as represented by the brand new singles “Beta” and “Come Hell Or Whatever.”

In 2020, the group’s second album, Sorry for the Late Reply, was released amidst the chaos of global lockdowns. The following year, bassist Lasse Lokøy and guitarist Tor-Arne Vikingstad – decided to leave to pursue other passions. The band as Shea had known it for a decade disbanded, prompting a period of reflection.

After reckoning with whether to continue with music, Shea decided to forge ahead. She found herself re-energised, and quickly realised that the project could be whatever she wanted to be. Now, she views Sløtface as a ‘creative collective’ which encompasses many producers and instrumentalists. “The collective feeling has made things more open: everything is possible and there are so many sounds available,” she says.

Now, Shea is revealing the fruits of these newly-embraced possibilities on “Beta” and “Come Hell Or Whatever,” as she courts pop elements for the first time. Written with the legendary Norwegian producer Mikhail Paskalev, the songs are a burst of signature Sløtface energy (let’s just say that anyone worried that the signature wall of extra-loud guitars have gone anywhere can rest easy) with a fresh twist.

After writing Sløtface’s previous two albums about deeply personal topics, Shea was determined to simply have fun, inspired by pop artists like Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift. Paskalev encouraged her to write music from a place of storytelling rather than confession, taking influence from movies. As such, “Beta” and “Come Hell or Whatever” see her occupying a surprising, post-apocalyptic world.

Despite the changes, however, Shea is also conscious that the new music feels like a continuation of Sløtface. She enlisted Sløtface’s longtime producer Odd Martin Skålnes to mix “Beta” and “Come Hell or Whatever,” to bridge the gap between the old and the new, and will still play in a traditional live band set up.

Indeed, by both moving forwards and maintaining everything about Sløtface that previously worked so well, Shea has given the project a fascinatingly broadened meaning. “Beta” and “Come Hell or Whatever,” then, can be viewed as the first steps into Sløtface’s expansive new world – live and in glorious, transformative Technicolour.
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14+ event (14-17's must be accompanied by an adult).
A BLG presentation.
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BLG events • www.linktr.ee/BLGPromotions

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