Q&A: Sløtface
CREATING MUSIC WITH INTENTION AND TO SET FEELINGS IN MOTION - Sløtface hones in on their passions beyond music to bring another layer of meaning to their work. Their latest album, Sorry for the Late Reply, touches on climate change and the frustrating emotions that come with it. The Norway based band reflects their growth, both sonically and personally, with their latest release and continues to use their platform to talk about growing social issues. Read below is hear about their unique creative process behind the album, their influences and more.
LUNA: How would you compare Sorry for the Late Reply to your previous music as a whole?
SLØTFACE: Mostly it’s poppier, a bit simpler, and more weird sounding I guess. We’ve tried to keep only the most important elements in each song, and really made each sound count.
LUNA: How have you seen your sound evolve?
SLØTFACE: It just always reflects what we’re listening to I think. When we first started playing together we were emulating a lot of more classically rock bands. For this record we’ve been listening to more singer-songwriter stuff, more R&B.
LUNA: You tested some new songs in prisons across Norway as part of a nationwide arts initiative - that’s awesome! Can you talk about the creative process of this project and what that was like?
SLØTFACE: We did this as part of a government project called “the cultural rucksack” where we were playing to high school students in different parts of Norway. As a part of this we also played to inmates in prison who were receiving high school education. The project is super rewarding, and one of the things we really like about it is that we get to play to lots of people who might never want to check out our music, which is quite rare, usually you play to people that bought a ticket. It can be quite difficult, seeing as the audience has to be there, but it also provides some really nice meetings with new people, especially the inmates. All in all a very interesting experience.
LUNA: What was your favorite memory while making the album?
SLØTFACE: We recorded the second half in a beautiful studio outside Aalesund called Ocean Sound Recordings. It’s right on the ocean and it’s one of our favorite places as a band. We wrote “Telepathetic” in that session, with producer Odd Martin, and that was truly special as the whole song kind of came together in the middle of the night after a whole day of working on other songs. We just all got in the live room together and worked on it for about 2 hours, and came out with a song we all really love. As musicians, we live for that kind of easy. Magic session (that doesn’t happen a lot) where everything just flows.
LUNA: The album touches on a variety of topics from climate change to rage, confusion & vulnerability on the current state of the world. Why is it important for you to use your platform to talk about these issues?
SLØTFACE: We make music about things that engage us and set feelings in motion, so a lot of the time our music is based on things that make us feel angry, or confused, because those emotions are so strong. We really like being able to use music as a gateway to talk about all kinds of issues that are important to us, because that’s what makes being in a band worthwhile, getting to meet people and share experiences and opinions.
LUNA: What do you think we can do, as consumers and individuals, to help the state of our planet?
SLØTFACE: We truly believe that the biggest change will come from policy change at a higher level. So I guess vote? Vote with the climate in mind. But on a smaller scale every choice we make helps in small ways if you make the right ones. Eat less meat, be concious of how you travel, all of those things add up, but they also send really important signals to policymakers that we are willing to make sacrifices.
LUNA: Which track is the most important to you?
SLØTFACE: Maybe “Sink Or Swim”. It’s a really important song to us as far as talking about the environment, and we were able to play it at a Fridays for Future march earlier this fall which was very special. It’s also the best way we know how to talk about a big issue like that in a way that hopefully comes across as us admitting we don’t have all the answers, which we find important. We are just a band after all.
LUNA: Are there any artists, both musical and non musical, that shaped the sound & flow of the album?
SLØTFACE: Pheobe Bridgers and Boy genius were big inspirations, as well as more rocking acts like Slaves and Weaves and Mitski. We were especially pulling inspiration from a lot of places when it came to using fuzz-effects and making sure things didn’t sound too perfect.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for 2020, both as individuals and artists?
SLØTFACE: Stepping out of our comfort zone is a big one. Going new places, trying new things, but also we always try to remind ourselves to appreciate where we are, because that can be easy to forget, especially when you tour a lot. We’re also very excited to go on tour and make new friends!
