Brighton, UK-based outfit Slung was initially the brainchild of its founding member and Small Pond Records label head Vlad Matveikov (bass) with the band actually being some time in the making: Mateikov randomly met Ali Johnson (guitar) at an Australian campground back in 2009. He fell in love with Katie Oldham (vocals) during COVID-19 related lockdowns. He had been familiar with drummer Ravi Martin through his work with his previous band, which he heard demos through his role with Small Pond.
But the actual genesis of Slung began when Mateikov’s previous band InTechnicolour broke up, and he began formulating new musical ideas without knowing where exactly they would lead him. Matveikov started out working with a series of like-minded vocalists including Sugar Horse‘s Ash Tubb, El Moono‘s Zac Jackson, Projector‘s Lucy Sheehan, CTRL DRP‘s Annie Dorret and Sick Joy’s Michael Barton before Oldham joined.
According to the band, bringing Oldham was its own journey. “First thing you need to know is that Vlad is an absolute machine,” Katie Oldham says matter-of-factly. “He has creativity, passion and drive like nothing else, and an ability to ‘get shit done’ that is second to none. He approached me about two years ago with these demos to see if I wanted to work with him as a vocalist, and maybe try turning them into a band. I *totally* bitched out,” she admits, laughing. “My previous band (Sit Down) had only very recently fallen apart and my confidence was in the gutter – I just didn’t feel ready. But immediately from working with him (on just one track to begin with), I felt incredibly reassured and encouraged by him, and it was such a different songwriting experience than I’d had before. After about a year of convincing and with Vlad having successfully recruited Ali and Ravi, I finally took the plunge and joined.”
Last year, the Brighton-based outfit released their first two singles, which captured the attention of folks across the music industry and the internet. But before that, they earned fans the old fashioned way — hitting the road before they officially released a note of music. Building upon the growing buzz surrounding the band, the Brighton-based band’s highly-anticipated full-length debut In Ways is slated for a May 2, 2025 release through Fat Dracula Records.
Drawing from an eclectic array of influences including like Deftones, Baroness, Wednesday, MJ Lenderman, Queens of the Stone Age, Chappell Roan and Fleetwood Mac, the Brighton-based band’s debut album is a collaborative meshing of the band’s members’ experiences, circumstances and musical prowess.
The album’s material lyrically and thematically sees the band’s Oldham brining together personal, lived-in experience with more abstract, conceptual ideas and characters. Thematically, Oldham’s inspirations range from sex workers and the power dynamics that come along with the profession; the tragic occurrences of bull fights in Spain and more.
The album also features contributions from the band’s former collaborators including Sick Joy’s Micheal Barton, Projector’s Lucy Sheehan and CTRL DRP’s Annie Dorret.
Additionally for the band’s Katie Oldham, one of her personal missions for the band relates to representation, sisterhood and women being a more dominant force within the music industry, whether on stage, behind the scenes or in the crowd. “My love for women knows no bounds. Everything I do, I do for the girlies, the women and the female gaze exclusively. (This extends of course to ALL women inclusively, no TERF bullshit here.) There is just an unparalleled magical feeling when you’re around liberated, electrifying women who speak with honesty and clarity and without fear,” Oldham says. “The world is built to try and make us resent, envy and destroy each other, and I LOVE those moments where we realise we are more alike than what divides us. I want to be around women all the time, to be inspired by them, to connect with them and to share and to bond and unite.”
Earlier this year, I wrote about “Laughter,” a swaggering and pummeling, most pit friendly anthem that struck me as being a sort of synthesis of Queens of the Stone Age, Deftones and Paramore anchored around scorching power chords, thunderous drumming, heavy down-tuned bass and enormous arena rock friendly hooks and choruses paired with Oldham’s impassioned, powerhouse vocal.
“This song is about a face-off that’s been a long time coming, and the difficult relationships we can have with members of our family, especially our parents,” Slung’s Katie Oldham says. ” When we’re children we’re so desperate for our parents’ attention and approval that their dismissal or rejection can feel agonising. With an emotionally absent parent, trying desperately to earn love or consideration from someone who isn’t capable of giving it can be so destructive. This hurt can often develop into resentment as we age and we may even later villainise this person, wanting to fight, confront, defeat them.”
In Ways’ latest single “Collider” is a bass heavy, stoner rocker/desert rock-like dirge that brings back memories of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and 90s grunge that also manages to perfectly complement and showcase Oldham’s powerhouse vocals.
Originally worked on by founding member Vlad Matveikov and El Moono’s Zac Jackson, the song was reworked a bit. “I kept most of Zac’s melodies as I really like the simplicity and drawn out syllables,” Katie Oldham says. “For the lyrics, I came up with a new narrative for this one based on the psych-infused nature of the tune. They tell the story of a cult who are ruled by a deity they refer to as the ‘ritual prophet’ and whom they converse with through the use of psychedelics.”
Shot by David Neale and edited by James Eldridge, the accompanying video for “Collider” is shot a moody, black and white silhouette with trippy bursts of color during the song’s chorus and guitar solo.