U.K. duo Slaves are sharing their new video for the bubblegum inflected punk belter ‘Chokehold’ ahead of the release of their third album, Acts of Fear and Love, out August 17th. Inspired by the anthemic Britpop of the 90’s, ‘Chokehold’ finds the band embracing the poppier side of their songwriting, whilst still having more bite than their contemporaries. The video tells a story of rejection – following the success of their “Cut & Run” dance, Isaac leaves the band to pursue his dream of being an international dance sensation, while Laurie is left behind to audition for a new drummer. One by one, in walks Ben Thatcher (Royal Blood), Joel Amey (Wolf Alice), Dom Boyce (Peace), Sam Doyle (Maccabees), Amber Grimbergen (HINDS), Dave Rowntree (Blur), and a few questionable characters. You can watch the video for ‘Chokehold’ on Vevo or stream the track on Spotify.
‘Chokehold’s our attempt at writing a pop love tune,’ says Laurie. ‘At first Isaac was concerned he was wearing his heart on his sleeve a bit. A lot of men have had that feeling of being dumped and not spoken about it,’ he says.
Acts Of Fears And Love, Slaves third album, is not what you’ve come to expect from the duo and yet it also feels like an amalgamation of everywhere they’ve been to date. Bandmates Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent are no longer content railing against the status quo, they want to smash their own self-created system. The record is far more genre-bending than past releases, containing the speed-y vitriol that’s always been par for the Slaves course, but tempered by quieter, dreamier moments of straight-up ‘90s indie. The album cover, shot by luminary photographer Juergen Teller, marks the first time Slaves have been featured in their own artwork, joining them Laurie’s son Bart. Acts Of Fears And Love is available for pre-order now and will be released on August 17th, you can find the aforementioned album cover and tracklisting below.
Acts Of Fear And Love Tracklisting
1. The Lives They Wish They Had
2. Cut And Run
3. Bugs
4. Magnolia
5. Daddy
6. Chokehold
7. Photo Opportunity
8. Artificial Intelligence
9. Acts Of Fear And Love
Having already had an action-packed year playing the likes of Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas and the main stage at Governor’s Ball in New York City, Slaves have a busy summer of festivals and shows ahead of them, including Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL, Crucial Fest in Salt Lake City, UT, and Cal Jam Fest San Bernardino, CA. The band will also make a return to one of their spiritual homes, Reading and Leeds Festivals where they will co-headline the Radio1 Stage.
Slaves Tour Dates
8/2 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL
8/2 – Empty Bottle (Headline) – Chicago, IL
8/5 – Osheaga – Montreal, Canada
8/12 – Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary
8/24 – Leeds Festival – UK
8/26 – Reading Festival – UK
9/28 – Crucial Fest – Salt Lake City, UT
10/6 – Cal Jam Fest – San Bernardino, CA