In following up 2013's Taiga, Edmonton punks Slates have lifted the curtain on a new LP. Titled Summery, the band's latest will arrive on May 19 through New Damage.
Eleven tracks in length, Summery finds the band teaming up with Steve Albini to record the LP to analog tape. The band laid down the tracks at Edmonton's Homestead Records, which allowed both the quartet and Albini to "settle very comfortably into their roles, with both knowing what to expect from the other."
As the band explained in a press release, "this familiarity allowed more room for spontaneity and experimentation to guide the sessions."
Slates also revealed that Summery was influenced by "birth and death in the extended Slates family." As vocalist/lyricist James Stewart explained, "Our latest record was recorded in the aftermath of some pretty sudden and bleak shit...It was time to find a light in the storm, and to head towards it. 'I'm ready for summer' is the lyric that defines this record. I want to sing about life lived, and the love of those close to me, especially when facing loss and grief."
Along with the new LP announcement, Slates have also shared a video for album cut "Sub-optimal," which finds the band being forced to take the stairs in a constant state of descent. Of course, the concept runs a bit deeper than what viewers see on the surface.
Read through the tracklisting to watch the clip for "Sub-optimal" in the player below, where you'll also find a few tour dates.
Summery:
1. Yellowknife
2. /
3. Sub-optimal
4. Coyotes II
5. //
6. Summery
7. New Day
8. Coyotes
9. ///
10. The Stranger
11. Orange Light
Tour dates:
05/26 Calgary, AB - Palomino
05/27 Edmonton, AB - Barber Ha
Eleven tracks in length, Summery finds the band teaming up with Steve Albini to record the LP to analog tape. The band laid down the tracks at Edmonton's Homestead Records, which allowed both the quartet and Albini to "settle very comfortably into their roles, with both knowing what to expect from the other."
As the band explained in a press release, "this familiarity allowed more room for spontaneity and experimentation to guide the sessions."
Slates also revealed that Summery was influenced by "birth and death in the extended Slates family." As vocalist/lyricist James Stewart explained, "Our latest record was recorded in the aftermath of some pretty sudden and bleak shit...It was time to find a light in the storm, and to head towards it. 'I'm ready for summer' is the lyric that defines this record. I want to sing about life lived, and the love of those close to me, especially when facing loss and grief."
Along with the new LP announcement, Slates have also shared a video for album cut "Sub-optimal," which finds the band being forced to take the stairs in a constant state of descent. Of course, the concept runs a bit deeper than what viewers see on the surface.
Read through the tracklisting to watch the clip for "Sub-optimal" in the player below, where you'll also find a few tour dates.
Summery:
1. Yellowknife
2. /
3. Sub-optimal
4. Coyotes II
5. //
6. Summery
7. New Day
8. Coyotes
9. ///
10. The Stranger
11. Orange Light
Tour dates:
05/26 Calgary, AB - Palomino
05/27 Edmonton, AB - Barber Ha