Louisville-based trio Wombo — Sydney Chadwick, Cameron Lowe and Joel Taylor — exploded into the national scene with last year’s critically applauded Fairy Rust. Building upon a growing profile, the Louisville-based trio’s follow-up effort, Slab EP is slated for a Friday release through Fire Talk Records.
Recorded by Nick Roeder, Slab EP is reportedly a loose, instinctual grouping of songs that gradually morph into the sort of sonic territory that would be familiar to fans of their experimental and surrealistic escapism, as well as sweeter, stripped down material. Most of the EP’s guitar parts are scratch takes that fit both the dueling energies and intentional imperfections of the songs with overlaid vocals recorded on the same day. The end result is an of-the-moment snapshot of a band that’s settling naturally into their own sound — while being in constant evolution.
Last month, I wrote about EP title track “Slab,” a track built around wiry and scratchy bursts of guitar, relentless four-on-the-floor paired with Chadwick’s dreamily detached delivery singing lyrics that feel and sound like stream-of-consciousness non-sequiturs. “Slab” manages to be forceful yet dreamy and reveals an uncanny sense for catchy melody. The band explains that the lyrics were inspired by a book Chadwick had read about dissociation, and came from improvising lyrics in the band’s basement practice space.
Slab EP‘s latest single “Thread” is a slow-burning and meditative song built around Chadwick’s expressive delivery paired with jangling guitars and sparse yet dramatic drumming. The end result is a song that nods at a familiar melancholy and loneliness that’s grounded in psychological realism.
While sounding as though it could have been released during 120 Minutes‘ heyday, “’Thread’ was originally just a little thing I use to play on piano,” the band’s Chadwick explains. “I showed Joel and Cameron one day when we were messing around at practice and they persuaded me to try and put some words to it and helped me turn it into a song we could play together as a band.”
Directed, filmed and edited by the members of Wombo, the accompanying video for “Thread” is a nostalgia-inducing fever dream that fits the 120 Minutes-like aesthetic of the song.
Wombo will be embarking on a handful of dates with Bully. Check out the tour dates below.
WOMBO US TOUR WITH BULLY
Thu Sep 14 – Davenport IA – Raccoon Motel
Fri Sep 15 – Minneapolis MN – First Ave
Sat Sep 16 – Milwaukee WI – X-Ray Arcade
Sun Sep 17 – Detroit MI – Loving Touch
Tue Sep 19 – Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace
Wed Sep 20 – Albany NY – Lark Hall
Thu Sep 21 – Boston MA – Crystal Ballroom
Fri Sep 22 – Hamden CT – Space Ballroom
Sat Sep 23 – Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian
Sun Sep 24 – Washington DC – Black Cat
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