Southampton, that hotbed of musical finery, sitting prettily on the coast you will find Slackrr a trio of top dudes and a dudette that are eager to share their latest album. Here to ‘Set The Night On Fire’ these guys may be young but have the experience to bolster their work.
They remind me of Oh Weatherly and also of my good friends Project Revise, easy on the ears with refreshing melodies that will stay with you long after the record has stopped playing.
Slackrr are Scotty Perry – guitar/vocals, Cait Bowyer- bass/vocals and Joe Sammons on drums, and together they throw themselves into the shark-infested waters of the music business, fearless and confident. Formed in 2018, they have played over 500 gigs, even toured the USA and are now set to release their third album.
Opening with the title track, you get a little rowdy, a little argumentative, then that burst of energy, a cocked and loaded pistol that fires into the air, demanding your attention. The single ‘This Time’ urges you to find a better way forward, and not to let a situation get you down. A message that we can all relate to, I’m sure.
A massively important record, one that needed to be written to try and assimilate all those mixed emotions, tossing and turning, surging through your bloodstream. Using personal experiences, fuelled by grief, loss and the ‘Ebb & Flow’ of relationships and life in general to offer a source of comfort by association. We all have feelings, we hurt, we hunger, our emotions reciprocated and shared with us by people we look up to as role models. The album artwork presents a night time scene, cleverly incorporating some of the song titles, and we see the joy and pleasure on people’s faces as they ‘Leave It All Behind’ and hope to dance their blues away.
‘The Answer’ is very Creeper-esque circa ‘Lie Awake’ love that Emo/Punk vibe, basking in the Gothic sunshine – there’s an oxymoron for you.
You’ll find a ‘Change Of Pace’ to finish this record and ultimately we all still have a lot to learn. Despite our best efforts, life seems to get more complex, for me it is music that helps me when I am lost, and after all is said and done, you’ll find me still holding on.
Azra Pathan
Slackrr – Set The Night On Fire out 4th August via Lost Music Collective