Dead Slow is the debut album for the Australian psych-pop band Heavy Moss released on November 22, 2024.
| Dead Slow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | November 22, 2024 |
| Recorded | 2022-2024[1] |
| Genre | psych-pop |
| Length | 43 minutes |
| Label | P(doom) Records |
Development
editHeavy Moss' debut album, the band was formed in late 2022 after Lucas Harwood and Sam Ingles reconnected in their hometown of Geelong.[2] Both had previously played in a Surf rock band named Atolls from 2011 to 2014.[2][3][4] Most of the band's music is from a back catalog of unused song ideas made by Harwood which didn't mesh with the style of the other band he was in, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.[2] While Harwood and Ingles work-shopped these old songs, they also brought in Kyle Tickell, a dreampop veteran, and Bec Goring with a background in jazz, to complete the band's lineup.[2][3] In the buildup to the albums release, two songs; Star and Treadmills, would be released as singles.[1][5]
The songs where written by Lucas Harwood and Kyle Tickell, with Tickell making more "jangly pop" songs, while Harwood took influence from the 1960s.[1][6] Tickell claims that he came up with the melody for "Star" while rushing back to his friends house in Berlin that he left his wallet in and that "It was just beamed down to me."[4] Tickell's songs included nods to the Flaming Lips, while Harwood's influences where "in the spirit of" Elephant 6.[1][6] Sam Ingles wrote the song Melt as a nod to early psych pop from The Black Angels and Dead Meadow.[1][6]
Harwood had the album recorded in the headquarters of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and stated that his band-mate Stu Mackenzie "really gave me confidence to make some drastic sonic decisions" and that Stu "helped find that flow socially throughout the whole song."[7] Lucas and Stu would mix half the album while on the World Tour 2024.[7] The album would be released under the P(doom) Records label.[4]
Reception
editThe Fire Note described the album as "shimmering melodies with an earthy, rhythmic backbone... contributing to an overall chill and warm, swaying vibe" comparing the music to Galaxie 500, Spacemen 3, My Morning Jacket, and Strand of Oaks.[2]
The Fire Note claimed the songs "Star", "Treadmills", and "Blutac" where the strongest, showcasing the range of the band from "Star" showcasing their originality, "Treadmills" delivering a "King Gizzard-inspired psych vibe" and "Blutac" being more rock-heavy.[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Le con" | 6:17 |
| 2. | "Distant Boy" | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Jump" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Star" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "Blutac" | 5:35 |
| 6. | "Treadmills" | 6:06 |
| 7. | "Melt" | 5:29 |
| 8. | "Cold" | 5:40 |
Tracks 1,2,4 & 5 where mixed by Stu Mackenzie and Lucas Harwood while Tracks 3, 6, 7 & 8 where mixed by Michael Badger who had mixed Nonagon Infinity. Dead Slow was mastered by Joe Carra with cover design and layout by Sam Ingles. Additional photos included in the vinyl where taken by Sonny Witton.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Dead Slow". Bandcamp. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Wilde, Thomas. "Heavy Moss: Dead Slow [Album Review]". thefirenote. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b c "Heavy Moss Debuts with Singles "Star" and "Treadmills" from Dead Slow". retrofuturista. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Pearis, Bill. "Heavy Moss (ft King Gizzard's Lucas Harwood) prep debut album: watch the "Star" video". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ Vigezzi, Jacopo. "[News] Heavy Moss announce their debut album "Dead Slow" and reveal first single "Star"". progrockjournal. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Sterdan, Darryl. "Albums Of The Week: Heavy Moss". tinnitist. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b LeSuer, Mike. "Heavy Moss Take Us on a Journey with Gentle New Psych-Odyssey "Treadmills"". Flood Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2024.