Introducing #120 - Dead Slow Hoot
Let us introduce you to Sheffield / London based band Dead Slow Hoot, who have just released their new track ‘Taller Tree’ - a musically and politically hard hitting track that takes a deep hard look at society. They took a moment to talk to us about their music.
Hey there Dead Slow Hoot - how are you? Your new track ‘Taller Tree’ is out now, can you tell us what it is about?
Hey there, I'm good thanks! Taller Tree's a song about (going in heavy here) self-actualisation at its core, it's about recognising the character traits that cause pain to yourself and others and the hope that you might actually do something about it so that you can be a better person on the other side
Where was the track recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from that experience?
We recorded the track at Tesla Studios in Sheffield. It's a recording studio that sits above our old rehearsal space in Sharrow Vale and we used to hear bands like Self Esteem and Mr Ben & The Bens playing upstairs after our sessions, so naturally we were desperate to head up there eventually. We were really lucky to be able to record a bunch of tracks in the summertime of 2020 right in the window between lockdowns which was basically the only exciting thing we did all year (although I did grow a couple of courgettes which was also very cool). It was our first time recording everything in the same studio all together, and I think that collaborative experience added a lot to the energy of the finished tracks.
You are split between Sheffield and London, how are you coping with the current UK lockdown when it comes to creating music?
We're still figuring it out haha, thankfully we can still send demos across the internet and stay connected musically that way but ultimately we're still waiting to get back in the same room and play together!
This track is the first taster of your new EP - when can we get to hear that?
The full EP is coming out in mid-June, and we might even get to play a show to celebrate!
‘Taller Tree’ has some political tones to it - do you consider yourself that sort of band?
I think I'm a political person, so naturally that bleeds into the lyrics I write but I think ultimately it isn't our mission to be dispensing hot takes with every song. When I write lyrics I'm trying to express what I feel as honestly as I can, and often that's a reaction to external events. As I said before, the lyrics are ultimately more of a commentary on actions I've needed to take personally to grow as a person, but I felt framing it in the 3rd person gave me more freedom to universalise that experience because noone exists in a political vacuum and a lot of the critique I directed internally was influenced by reflecting on my feelings towards neoliberal politics more generally
How did the band start?
Three of us (Hugo, Sam and Luke) were playing together in the backing band for a gospel choir and decided to secretly start a sad band on the side with some singer songwriter stuff I was writing and it just worked better when drums and bass got involved. It was a really natural progression because we were already used to taking cues from each other so we never really had any settling in issues, it's always been a really collaborative approach and we love writing more than anything else. Dom joined after we recorded our debut EP which needed a musical polymath to cover all of the extra parts we'd put in the recordings, and conveniently we now have one!
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
It's so hard to pick! If there's a constant thread through our catalogue, I'd say we're most influenced by the inimitable Wilco and Radiohead but there are so many artists that inspire our work and they're always changing. For this EP I've been really inspired by Protomartyr, Marvin Pontiac, Juana Molina, Mothers, The Horrors, Kiran Leonard, Fionn Regan and Terry Riley which all had a direct influence on how the songs got written in some way.