Hailing from the heartland of Taranaki, quirky genre-spanning four-piece band theSLACKS offer up their latest full-length studio album, the 11-song-long INFORMATION APE.
The line-up of brothers Scott Armstrong (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Mark Armstrong (vocals, lead guitar) and good friends Blake ‘Boogie Woogie’ Gibson (vocals, bass guitar), and Zane ‘the Zaniac’ Greig (vocals, drums) joyfully produce a varied blend of music spanning a broad-range of influences inspired and informed by the sounds of the turbulent ‘60’s and beyond, positioning theSLACKS all over the indie-rock folk-pop spectrum.
Lyrically robust, theSLACKS songs are musical throwbacks; vignettes dressed as pub-rock, fizz-pop and country-ska. Shades of Neil Young and The Kinks haunt theSLACKS song-writing, brought partially into the light perhaps, by a ghost of Billy Joel.
The eclectic fun-loving band’s third studio album INFORMATION APE is a firm play on the term Information Age, with the title of the album and lead single directly referring to our human experience living immersed in a technology-drenched habitat. Is it slackness or circumstance that has meant a four year delay in these boys dropping their first album in nine years? Probably both. Ironically or maybe coincidentally, but definitely typically, the album was delayed by the biggest information dump in history, making it absolutely of its time on a level beyond just words and music.
Since first forming in 1999, the band have earned a reputation for creating catchy lyrics, easy melodies and sweet vocal harmonies, holding a light to times passed. Their sheer love of making music is evident in their delivery of pure, unpretentious, fun rock n’ roll and their effortless crossing over genres to encapsulate everything in between.
Recorded, mixed, and co-produced with the band by talented engineer Sam Johnson at Rhythm Ace in Ōakura, four singles have been released off the new album – fun, nostalgic musical throw-back ‘Crystal Mountain High’ followed hot on the heels of the sweet and charming previous single and video ‘Love To Go’. Prior to that, the social commentary of title track ‘Information Ape’ was unveiled, with the stellar musical and lyrical Neil Young tribute ‘Old King Young’ first out the gate.
Says Scotty: “Each song on the album is an observation on life as an ‘information ape’, which is not necessarily meant in a derogatory way, more in a ‘still green and learning’ kind of way where a high-level production aesthetic often glosses over the validity of the message. It’s a bit part of what we’re being fed via our phones and why people struggle to discern the plausible from the implausible.”
Available on vinyl and via the best digital outlets in cyberspace, this new collection of Slack flavoured tunes is designed to connect with what they describe as “this hopelessly tangled information age.”
Explains the band: “Internet porn, music festivals, artificial intelligence, bar brawls, invasive tech, suicide, friendship, gatherings, addiction, musical heroes and, of course, love and hope populate this album. These songs reflect the full and flustered times in which we live. Sometimes being connected feels more like being hopelessly tangled. As data-dust falls around us all like staticky snow, ask yourself – ‘is it information or is it marketing?’ We’re all being mapped, all of the time. How do you feel about it?”
Very much a self-funded, self-managed and self-aware band, theSLACKS have embarked on numerous national tours, released three full-length studio albums, multiple singles and videos and boast a profile only slightly bigger than a billionaire’s tax return. Unperturbed, theSLACKS continue to operate on the highly sustainable concept of ‘breaking even’.
While some may think it a folly to produce a full studio album in the age of streaming, this has been a band goal since the beginning, and while delays have been frustrating, the band are incredibly satisfied to finally bring it all home at long last.
Best known for antipodean bilingual pop hits ‘Yeah Nah’ and the viral sensation ‘Big Aroha’, theSLACKS excel at writing highly relatable and quintessentially Kiwi lyrics, often visually framed in typically Aotearoa/New Zealand scenarios of coastal roads, the local dairy, the classic fish & chip shop, and most importantly, the local community. Through this shared connection theSLACKS continue to create a poignant social commentary fuelled by a selfless desire to entertain, spread aroha, and their good vibes.
Says Scotty: “Our reasons are fearlessly selfish. As ‘guardians of the rolling vibe’, we love the fun and freedom of rolling around the country playing music, we love a live audience – a wild band and a willing audience is the most immediate and visceral interaction between people you can experience. That’s what keeps us going.”
Ultimately theSLACKS are four good friends who share a few common drivers: a love for rock ‘n’ roll and the wide umbrella of its rebellious arms, a love of word-play, a love of horse-play, and the sheer joy of writing, recording, and performing good music with good people. Join them in celebrating the release of Information Ape as they host four high energy-emitting live dates over the Music Month of May as per below:
Friday 3 May, The Most FM Lounge, Ngāmotu
Saturday 11 May, Eight Ball Pool & Darts, Ngāmotu
Saturday 18 May, Cassette 9. Tāmaki Makaurau
Saturday 25 May, Star And Garter, Coromandel
Tickets for all shows from undertheradar.co.nz
For more information + tickets, go to: https://theslacks.nz/shows-info