NEW MUSIC: Slaves release The Velvet Ditch EP
Kent’s punk duo return with four tracks of purest Slaves
Laurie Vincent’s short sharp riffs and the combative lyrics of Issac Holman once again set the soundtrack to a confusing and frustrating modern world.
In “One More Day Won’t Hurt”, power chords and jarring scales are met with poetic visions of a situation the boys don’t want to find themselves in, and that is pure Slaves.
The fast-paced one minute 47 seconds thrash of “It Makes Me Sick” is a hark back to their 2015 “Are You Satisfied?” album, belted out with equal parts venom and thought provoking statements. A real ode to smash mouth, don’t give a f*ck punk.
In contrast, the title track “The Velvet Ditch” continues Slaves’ investment into writing songs of beautiful misery that so lit up the 2018 album “Acts of Fear and Love”. There are so many meanings you can take from it; love, friendship or even just a vision of the sh*tty town you live in.
A melodic touch of country is pierced by Issac’s stone cold vocals and Laurie’s back and forth, it will have you wondering why exactly the “velvet ditch feels good until your feet start to itch”.
Finally, “When will I learn?” opens with intriguing piano and a softer discourse.
Lyrics such as “kicking myself ‘cause it’s all my own doing” and “when will I learn to say no” and “fu*k sake I've done it again, before I knew it , it was 8am”, create a reflective view of all-night benders and the things you may get up to during those never ending twilight hours. It feels like a step on a path in an even newer direction, but one I can’t wait to follow.
Slaves are in a rich vein of writing, and the The Velvet Ditch EP is a continuation of this. Though in their songs they often consider their own misgivings, for me they can do no wrong.
We have added “One More Day Won’t Hurt” to the #KeepitKent Spotify Playlist Here
Slaves will be curating their own line-up at this year’s Wheels & Fins Festival - see the full line-up HERE