The Backseat Lovers - 'Slowing Down'
As if The Backseat Lovers needed more proof of their ability to build the perfect ark in a song, their suspenseful new single Slowing Down reveals yet another layer of this brilliance.
Reminiscent of early Coldplay, the brooding reverberating riff and tentative vocals blend for a deep and slow burn. Feeling as though you are anxiously watching a horror movie preparing for a jump scare that never comes, the song sonically reflects the title of their upcoming album, Waiting to Spill. Considering the coming-of-age anxieties expressed in recent releases “Growing/Dying” and “Close Your Eyes”, “Slowing Down” elaborates on this theme and promises a rather raw portrait of the band’s experiences.
The song cumulates into the declaration of “it’s getting louder,” mirrored by the clashing and spiraling of the same tune – and just when you think it’s calming down, it begins to pick up again. This serves as the perfect exhibition of angst given the opening of the song commenting on “the sound of laughter” and “the sound of pressure” as synonymously getting louder. The steady pulse of the song ensures this assembly into the cathartic climax that is ultimately questioning one’s place; in a more exasperated sense they are interrogating what has already been asked: “Am I the only one that’s slowing down?” and more existentially “Am I slowing you down?”
Waiting to Spill is set to be released on Friday October 28th, following their debut and self-recorded album When We Were Friends (2019), which garnered them success especially with the indie hit “Kilby Girl.” The band worked with producer David Greenbaum on the new record, including elements such as speeding cars to cause sound-bending and warping of instruments and vocals, leading frontman Joshua Harmon to describe it as “the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.” The challenge is sure to pay off for the Utah quartet as these recent singles add to their increasingly unique repertoire, demonstrating their dedication to composing their individual sound.
Words by Frances Cameron
