In The Mud / Firing Line

Announcing their signing with indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s, Nature TV), Manchester/London ‘Slacker Folk’ seven-piece The Slow Country return with new 7″ double A-sided single ‘In The Mud / Firing Line’. With the help of producer Bill Ryder-Jones, ‘Firing Line’ sees the band wholeheartedly level up their distinctive blend of folkish indie and maximalist rock. Recalling early 2000s big band ensembles like Broken Social Scene and The National, on ‘Firing Line’, melodic delicacies seamlessly interweave with brazen extroversions – like a ripping solo played on a guitar owned by Peter Green, gifted to Ryder-Jones by Noel Gallagher himself. Above all, ‘Firing Line’ showcases the exuberance of seven distinct personalities tightly bonded by friendship and curiosity, surging forwards toward an unknown future. Like a book you treasure as much for the smell of the paper as for the words on the page, theirs is a sound that feels nostalgic and newly claimed, suspended somewhere between past and present in a fictive place called The Slow Country. Garnering a reputation for intimate storytelling and grandiose tug-of-war arrangements from a series of self-released singles, the band have already amassed multiple plays on BBC Radio 6Music (New Music Fix, Indie Forever, Craig Charles), a Radio X live session (John Kennedy), and backing from the likes of So Young, DIY, Notion, Pretty Green, Spotify, Apple Music and Rabbit Baby. Featuring artwork once again by artist Hugo Winder-Lind (Radio Anorak, The New Eves), created in direct response to the tracks, vocalist/guitarist Charlie Smith elaborates on ‘Firing Lines’, and working with Bill Ryder-Jones: “To me, Firing Line is about anxiety, depression and self-pity, and the repetitive lifestyle they can create. When those feelings hit, they almost feel like an act of violence against oneself. When you’re in the throes of anxiety and depression, you don’t notice the beauty in the world around you. We wanted to highlight this through the juxtaposition between the blunt lyrics and the (hopefully) epic music that surrounds them. This is a big reason why there are so many melodic moments in the song, and the strings and piano play such a big role. Bill gave us the time and encouragement to express ourselves more freely on the track, helping us give the song its emotional core. It was a pleasure to see him work with our violin player Miren, he’s incredibly subtle and natural in his production which just allows you to really open your playing.”