Lee Kalpakis 1 posts 0 comments

Slothrust shreds. This past Saturday Slothrust (Leah Wellbaum on guitar/vocals, Kyle Bank on bass, and Will Gorin on Drums) played Baby's All Right in Williamsburg with Diet Cig, the playfully charming pop punk duo from Upstate, New York and YUNG, the killer rock band hailing all the way from Denmark. The show was sold out, the music was powerful, and the whole venue seemed to hum with the undeniably infectious energy of being young and alive in Brooklyn. Slothrust finished up a month long tour at Baby's that night and closed out the show. Their tour hopped all over the country, including five showcases at SXSW. As I watched them set up I wondered if they were worn out from tour, burnt out from travel, the back to back shows, the van life. I thought maybe their set would be a bit sluggish. I was dead wrong. They were tight. They are always so incredibly tight. To start, they hit the crowd with a jam that was heavy like a ton of bricks and by mid set had leveled things out with both "Magnets part 1" and "Magnets part 2", dark yet delicate crowd pleasers. The whole performance was a perfect balance; new songs and old favorites that provided a trip through intimate, emotional lyrics that were delivered with captivating, deadpan vocals and guitar riffs that rip right through you. It can't really be compared to anything else. Slothrust is it's own kind of strange darkness. Straight up grunge rock that can get you all choked up without a single cliche lyric to be sung. They closed their set with "Crockpot" which is a spot-on representation of who they are as a band. It's a sample of the dichotomy the trio has mastered; soft yet strong, gentle but raw and raging. A spellbinding sweetness broken by a build up that makes the blood flow faster through your body. As "Crockpot" rang out, the back lights made perfect silhouettes of the three talented musicians responsible for making the packed house sing along at the top of their lungs. It was then that I truly realized the power of Slothrust. I wholeheartedly believe their future holds something huge- something great. If you haven't heard Slothrust yet, listen to "Of Course You Do" (their latest album which is an absolute masterpiece), get yourself to their next show, or do both if you know what's good for you. https://soundcloud.com/badabingrecords/sets/slothrust-of-course-you-do-1

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Lee Kalpakis 1 posts 0 comments

Slothrust Shreds at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg