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PREMIERE: Slowly Slowly keep up the intensity with Empty Lungs

After dropping Go Easy, their first single from upcoming LP Futile Set in February Melbourne alt rock duo Slowly Slowly have given us a second taster of what’s to come with Empty Lungs.

Slowly Slowly

With a penchant for heavy riffs and lyrics that bare all, Melbourne’s Slowly Slowly keep up the intensity with Empty Lungs, a great teaser for Futile Set.

Consisting of guitarist-vocalist Ben Stewart (also the drummer of post-punk trio The Sinking Teeth) and bassist Alex Quayle, Slowly Slowly began as two schoolmates recording songs at Ben’s father’s sticker factory and have been kicking around Melbourne ever since. After a brief period of hibernation the band returned this year and are hard at work pulling together material for their debut LP.

Taking a no-nonsense DIY approach to their music, all of the duo’s songs are self-written, self-produced and self-recorded with Ben taking chief responsibility for turning out songwriting ideas while Alex acts as a creative foil and handles the production side of things. This said the boys have relinquished some control in recruiting industry mainstay Tony “Jack The Bear” Mantz (known for his work with Katie Noonan, Midnight Juggernauts, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and The Living End to name a few) to master their tracks.

Empty Lungs sprang into being when a verse rhythm popped into Ben’s head while spending a late night working on another track with Tom Lanyon from alt-rock contemporaries Ceres and the track was later jammed to completion in a 14 hour studio session. As with Go Easy Slowly Slowly’s latest is characterised by emotive conviction and nostalgia for 90s rock.

The track continues to show the group’s proclivity for heavy riffs, emotive themes and confessional lyrics. Brimming with the heartfelt emotion and distorted chugging guitar lines reminiscent of alt rock forerunners Jimmy Eat World, Empty Lungs is a raw, honest and down to earth track which exemplifies the duo’s finesse at weaving together an intricate blend of introspective alt rock and power pop.

It expresses the narrator’s angst over the decision to end a relationship or continue on. Underscored by an intermingling of indecision, love and frustration Ben’s emotional turmoil is given emphasis by aggressive pummeling of the drums and heavy alt rock shredding. The track builds to a climax with a segment of intense call and response interplay between Ben’s vocals and a guitar solo before revisiting the chorus and concluding with a bombastic guitar solo.

When asked how Empty Lungs will fit in with other tracks on the LP Ben stated that the tone of the album will reflect the overall brooding melancholy and honest approach of Empty Lungs, although there will also be some more delicate and minimalistic tracks to come.

For those looking to catch the band, Slowly Slowly will be playing the Catch and Release Records party at the Shadow Electric on July 9th and supporting Ceres for the final show of their Australian tour at Melbourne’s own Old Bar on July 25.