Album of the Week: Slowly Slowly, ‘Race Car Blues’

It’s been a monumental two years for Melbourne’s Slowly Slowly. The release of their second album, St. Leonards, saw them cement their status as leaders of Australia’s emo landscape. The eighteen months since the album’s release has seen the quartet cut their teeth touring with giants Red Hot Chili Peppers and Amy Shark, as well as make their Splendour In The Grass debut.

Now the band are back with their third album, Race Car Blues, and they’re tearing hell for leather towards the light. Race Car Blues is a life-affirming body of work that unrelentingly strives for the feeling of okayness. It’s a masterclass in emotional clarity, of exploring ugly, trying feelings, and pushing towards positivity instead of buckling under self-hatred, “I’ll be okay, it’s gonna feel good /When I catch that smile when I sit recalling.”

“This bookends a deeply reflective & empowering time for us—I hope it can be the soundtrack to you stepping into your life with purpose, as it was intended. You deserve it.” Slowly Slowly shared in a statement.

Race Car Blues harks back to all the anxious, hopeful glory being sixteen, stuck in the outskirts of suburbia and finding solace in the music of Modern Baseball or The Wonder Years. The kind of record that feels like a difficult conversation with a friend.

You can listen to Race Car Blues below.

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