Somewhere between Mazzy Star and Mastodon, Slung flits masterfully between thundering momentum and sinister riffs, to a vulnerability so delicate it catches you entirely off guard. Slung release new video single Thinking About It ahead of their debut album In Ways, which is out 2nd May 2025 via Fat Dracula.
On the verge of releasing their astounding debut album In Ways, Brighton band Slung have released a further preview of the full-length with playful new single Thinking About It. Though serious in its musicality and approach, vocalist Katie Oldham uses the track to assume an alter-ego of sorts: “The working title for this song was ‘Tasty Girl’, because every time I tried to improvise on lyrics, they ended up coming out like sleazy pick up lines from an old womanizer. In the end, we decided to just roll with that vibe and tell that story but from the perspective of a female lothario out on the prowl.
Bringing references to queerness in our songs is important to me, because myself and the majority of my friends identify as queer, despite mostly presenting femme and straight-passing. I don’t feel the need to draw attention to it specifically, and don’t feel it appropriate to represent myself as a ‘queer voice’, but I still want to create a little space in whatever I do to honour it, as it’s an important part of who I am. The theme is also pretty representative of bisexual panic, meeting a girl and realising you’re thinking about it, and wondering if she’s thinking about it too.
Mostly, though, I imagine this as like my flamboyant alter ego. I just love the idea of this super egoic, confident, yet non-threatening lothario who believes they’re irresistible. Yet at the same time they have this charmingly endearing vulnerability. It’s such a goofy song that hopefully offers some light-hearted relief to some of the heavier vibes of the record.”
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Slung - Thinking About It (Official Music Video)
With a debut duo of singles at the tail end of 2024, Slung’s sounds piqued interest among discerning ears across the industry and internet. They’ve also been working hard in the real, physical world, earning a legion of fans the old fashioned way, by hitting the road hard before they’d even released a note of music. They’ll continue this with a tour to celebrate the release of debut album In Ways this spring.
In Ways is a collaborative combustion of its members’ experiences, circumstances and supreme musicianship. Their sonic universe - comprising the power of guitarist Ali Johnson’s incendiary riffs, vocalist Katie Oldham’s enviable dynamic and tonal range, bassist Vlad Matveikov’s undulating, yet grounding basslines and drummer Ravi Martin’s expert rhythmic punctuation - is a veritable musical supernova. Influences within the Slung camp are far reaching, with the band’s members referencing artists from Deftones and Baroness, to Wednesday and MJ Lenderman, to Queens of the Stone Age and even a sprinkling of Chappell Roan and Fleetwood Mac.
Initially the brainchild of Vlad, whilst he was living in Brighton, Slung were some time in the making. He tells of randomly meeting Ali at a campground in Australia in 2009, falling in love with Katie during lockdown and hearing a demo of drummer Ravi Martin’s old band in his other role running indie label Small Pond. The kernel of an idea for Slung began to germinate when Vlad’s previous band InTechnicolour disbanded, as he began to formulate new musical ideas, not knowing where they would lead him.
Vlad started out by working with like-minded vocalists such as Ash Tubb (Sugar Horse), Zac Jackson (El Moono), Lucy Sheehan (Projector), Annie Dorret (CLT DRP) and Micahel Barton (Sick Joy). Bringing Katie on board as vocalist was its own journey. "First thing you need to know is that Vlad is an absolute machine," she states, 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.” Having found a musical home that really fits, she now remarks poignantly to the rest of the group and their journey together: “I can’t remember when you all became main characters in my life”