Slothrust turn on the theatrics with new album What They Grow in the Garden.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and those of you who identify as neither, please take your seats, the show is about to begin. Slothrust have returned. Highly anticipated new album, What They Grow In The Garden, is finally hear via Equal Vision Records and Civilians.
Slothrust return for their sixth full length album in fourteen years. Off the back of 2021’s Parallel Timeline, the band spent time working hard on some smaller projects. 2023’s EP I Promise notably containing their incredible cover of Ginuwine’s Pony, which went as far as hitting mainstream charts in the U.S. What They Grow In The Garden is yet another pitch shift.
As a band, Slothrust have always endeavoured to push themselves and to be more ambitious with their sound, this album may have made the biggest jump in ambition yet. Vocalist and guitarist Leah Wellbaum and drummer Will Gorin have stuck to their grunge/alternative roots, but they’ve added in so much more.
the rollout of the new album started back in June with a cryptic post teasing news. that news being the release of first single Burn the Deck. July came with the news of the album release alongside dual release of singles Ring the Bell and 00101001 . Only having to wait for two months was definitely good news when it came to those who had been waiting and watching for Slothrust’s next move. Two more singles, Twisted Paradise, and Dystopian Cemetery bridged the gap between album announcement and release week. final single hearst Castle was the last single prior to release.
Dissolve the Delusion is a piano introduction track. Think an overture as the curtain raises at the theatre. Moody and sombre to set the tone for the album. Things really kick off with the first single released Burn the Deck. The band’s desire to bend their genre and take influence from unexpected areas becomes very apparent immediately. Taking clear influence from Wellbaum’s love of musical theatre, Burn the Deck makes it abundantly clear that they are putting on a grunge musical production. This track has so much going on, you’d be forgiven for thinking it would be chaotically busy, but Slothrust have made it work here. The driving pulse from the start, the swelling of verse into chorus, and then stripping everything back for a vocal only chorus before building everything back up again. this curtain raiser really made me sit up and lock in immediately. Early signs are showing that this album is going to be a rollercoaster, so buckle up.
further Showing that their alternative/grunge roots can collide with the musical theatre influence, Smile enters the room. Musically, Smile is one of the heavier tracks on the album. Distortion and guitar solos coupled against a consistent twinkle and subtle intricacy. Vocally, Smile keeps up the dramatics and has an intensity to the delivery that isn’t usually something attributed to Slothrust records. Smile keeps things brief, not self-indulging and not dragging out the song for the sake of hitting three minutes.
Second single, Ring the Bell, comes next. this track feels a bit more like an alt grunge banger. Few theatrics, just guitars and drums. lyrically, the track confronts the familiar numbness of late-stage capitalism and encourages breaking out from that perceived comfort. The track has real contrast. There are clear shifts in sound that creates real dynamism from start to finish. The breakdown contains the repeated line ‘Blue light overdose, comatose"' delivered with punctuality, it adds a new layer to this track.
Twisted Paradise was the band’s fourth single in the lead up to the album, I understand why they chose it as a single. it slaps. The tracks that have preceded Twisted Paradise on the album have been laced in intricate subtleties musically. not here though. Twisted Paradise is a big brutish banger. While Wellbaum is exploring topics of dreams and subconscious, Gorin is having the time of his life behind the drum kit. This track is definitely the out and out rock anthem of the album, and possibly an instant classic for Slothrust fans.
Where do I begin with Hearst Castle? This track is weird. I understand the idea to push artistry, but this one feels like its playing too closely to Remains of the Day from Corpse Bride. The story telling gets too obscure. The story of Patty Hearst’s kidnapping from the perspective of her father’s mansion is a unique one but I think to get that you’d need to have prior understanding of the story. This one really sits as a bit of a sore thumb on the album. It’s a fun track, and could be great in other contexts, but sometimes show tunes don't work on alternative albums, and this is one of those times.
Returning to their scheduled and expected programming, 00101001 brings things back to what we’ve come to expect from Slothrust. The third single released, 00101001 builds on the experience of artists in the industry, being forced to fit in while simultaneously standing out from the crowd. The binary code referencing is smart. It’s hinted as a backing vocal during the second bridge before being the whole breakdown. I really enjoyed this track, melodically it itches a really satisfying scratch.
The front half of What a Night is unassuming. A slow piano accompanied vocal build up switches up to a heavily distorted riff, before Wellbaum says ‘shh don’t let them hear you coming’ and it all kicks off for a small instrumental explode before whiplashing back to the simplicity of the piano and percussion verse. The dynamic shifts in this song keep you wanting and anticipating the next explosion. Truly, what a night to be alive.
Absolute Power is one of those tracks that could easily just be an album deep cut; however, it shouldn’t be. The track lacks a true vocal chorus, that has been swapped out for small moments of instrumentals. Where What a Night was full of dynamic shifts, Absolute Power exists on one plane. Keeping contrast to a minimum, but intricacy and complexity interweave throughout. Putting these two tracks side by side on the album is a bold choice artistically, and one that I have a lot of time for. It demonstrates the contrast on a larger scale than just on the tracks individually. To have been a fly on the wall while the band were figuring that out would have been so sick.
Keep Us Thirsty is possibly my favourite track on the album, and honestly, I don’t have a good reason for that other than pure vibes. Gorin has built an absolute masterclass on the drums. Throughout, the drum line is so captivating, drawing in and creating a solid foundation for the rest of the instruments. While there is already so much going on in this track, another twist is thrown into the mix with the breakdown and outro switching to an obscure time signature is just the absolute absurdity that this track called for.
We really want people to take away a message from this album of self-liberation amidst the flickers of seemingly inescapable dread, despite the permeating blue light of the external world, it is still possible to find your freedom and identify your core truths if you go within.
-Leah Wellbaum and Will Gorin
Next up, The Lake. This track gets into the guts of things quickly. I struggle to keep up with the pacing of this track and I love it. Is it stop start? Is it a driving flowing powerhouse? I don’t I mind. The repeated build up, pop off, and then reset just works so well on this track. It seems unfair that Slothrust made us wait for this, an album track, second from the end, this one is a gem.
The curtain closer, Dystopian Cemetery is up there with the best album closers. Standalone, it is a relatively ordinary track, however, in the context of being the album closer, magnificent. Perfectly bringing down the pace and the power, uniting the themes heard throughout the album, both lyrically and musically. A finale for the alternative grunge opera worthy of Broadway. The way the outro piano melody lines up with that of Dissolve the Delusion is just prime time artistry. Such a small detail that just perfectly bookends the whole album.
Slothrust have billed the album tour The Dystopian Theatre Tour and that’s so appropriate given how this album plays out. What They Grow In The Garden won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, having shifted so hard from where they were in their older albums, this will not be what anyone was really expecting. However, everyone will find something that they enjoy in this album. The album has its highs and its lows, its grunge and its ballad-esque theatre, and whatever the fuck Hearst Castle is.
For their first outing as a double act, Wellbaum and Gorin have crafted an incredibly complex album. Assisted by Jordan Witzigreuter of The Ready Set, from the first notes to the last, there is something new to hear on every listen through. A new layer to peel back, a new perspective to listen from.
