In a time of uncertainty for not only the local music scene, but world as a whole, Melbourne’s Slow Fades have emerged from lockdown armed with new music, sharing their new single, “This City is Sinking”, today.
Having first appeared on the scene a couple of years ago, Slow Fades quickly drew recognition from the music world for consisting of members of Melbourne ‘pop ‘n’ roll’ band, Klinger. Featuring the famed songwriting talents of Ben Birchall, and the eclectic production and compositional skills of Dave Rogers, Slow Fades shared their first EP that same year to wide acclaim.
Though their EP launch show featured a variety of songs not featured on their debut release, promises of a new record were made, though fans would have to wait quite some time before they got a chance to hear recorded proof.
Now, as Slow Fades gear up to release their second EP, they’ve shared the lead single from the project, debuting “This City is Sinking” today.
Recorded with longtime collaborator Neil Gray at his Big Sky Audio studio and produced by Rogers, the track is a musical step forward for the esteemed outfit (which also features percussionist Darren Vlah, bassist Glenn Arnup, and keyboardist Amy Bennett), though one borne out of difficulties for the city that they call home.
“We started writing the song two years ago, when Sisto Malaspina from Pellegrini’s was tragically killed and Melbourne was hurting,” explains Birchall. “And with the multiple lockdowns this year, the city is hurting just as badly. The song has developed second and third meanings.”
The effect of said lockdowns made itself clear in the visual aspect of the track, with the group needing to get somewhat creative in an effort to produce a music video. With a physical launch and video shoot made impossible, Slow Fades edited together stock footage and visuals of Melbourne itself with the help of iMovie.
“When you can’t get together to play, you have some time on your hands to scroll through hours of stock footage and learn how to cut video,” Birchall explains.
As it turns out, their nascent videography efforts were undoubtedly fruitful, with the clip for “This City is Sinking” serving as the first of five more videos set to be released in November, pairing up with the songs from their forthcoming EP, Passing Headlights Blinking.
Set for release on November 13th, the new EP will also be released alongside a planned podcast, which will see the group dive deep into each of their new songs.
Slow Fades’ “This City is Sinking” is out now, while Passing Headlights Blinking will be released on November 13th.
