British trio Sleemo have crafted a genre-defying sound that combines elements of alternative metal, sludge, noise, post-hardcore and shoegaze and they describe as “dark, heavy and brooding.”
The band started out 13 years ago, when Jack Andrews (vocals and bass) and Jacob Brooks (drums) met on their first day of college. The pair instantly became inseparable, both as friends and a drum and bass duo. But there was space for one more person to complete the lineup, as they met Billy Utting (vocals and guitar), who was forming Sleemo after his previous band broke up, and a mutual friend introduced him to Jacob. And Billy knew that Jack was the right person to complete the Sleemo lineup when he saw the bassist emerge from a Black Flag moshpit bloodied and grinning.
On the Sleemo sound, Jack told us: “We like to say we find our catharsis in chaos. Our music is heavy, noisy and sludgy, but there are also moments of honesty, emotion and beauty in there. We make music that we love, and when other people connect to it then that only adds to the experience.”
Our latest taste of this is Bleeding, which was released on Friday (10 October). It opens up with a delicious slab of thick guitars that continue as high-pitched vocals join in. The pace slows with light guitars and mellow vocals, before bursting into a big atmospheric chorus. That ends with vicious vocals and a booming guitar riff, before heavy drums, screams and high-pitched guitars drop into another booming riff. It flows into a more intense second chorus, which gives way to meandering guitar licks bringing the track to an atmospheric conclusion.
Ahead of the release, Jack told us: “We’ve been waiting for this release to come for a long time! Our sound has undergone a lot of changes over the years, but Bleeding feels like a really true version of what we want Sleemo to be. It was one of the first tracks we wrote as part of this newer sound and has been a big part in our live shows in the past year, so it’s really exciting to finally let it out in the world! It’s much rawer than what we’ve done in the past and has crushing riffs, noisy shoegaze textures, heavy drums and ideas that don’t conform to one genre.”
Bleeding is the band’s first release for two years, following on from their 2023 album Call To The Void and a couple of EPs. The debut album is packed with metal goodness, including the exceptionally sludgy Head Full Of Lead.
And the new single comes from their upcoming second album, which will be released next year and they summarise as a “colossal statement.” “We want our second album to carry the energy and emotion that we are bringing with Bleeding, and really lean into our sound,” Jack said. “Our first album Call To The Void meant a lot to us, it also marked the end of an era and was a very transitional time for us, still finding our feet. After a good couple of years of intense gigging and touring, we now feel ready to push ourselves and see how far we can take things.
“We’re genuinely excited for every track on that album, and nothing makes it to the studio unless all three of us have a genuine buzz for it. There’ll be another single coming out before the year is out called Suffer Your Silence which we’re immensely proud of and shows the other side of what we are trying to achieve with Bleeding.”
The Sleemo sound has been heavily influenced by the groove and atmosphere of Deftones, as well as the heavy riffs of Meshuggah and Crowbar and bands like Gojira and Reuben. And Jack says they played with Reuben’s Jamie Lenman on his King of Clubs tour a few years ago, describing that as a “pinch me” moment.
And on what inspires them to write music, Jack added: “A lot of our writing comes through the darker side of experience and explores themes of personal collapse, frustration and finding release. It’s a way of working through things we’ve gone through. Bleeding, for example, is about letting personal pride take over instead of asking for help when you’re struggling. A lot of our lyrics tend to embrace personal struggles and find ways to find catharsis by venting them out.”
Sleemo will be promoting the Bleeding release with a run of gigs that kicked off in Oxford and Norwich last week. They’ll be continuing the tour at The Lanes in Bristol tomorrow (Wednesday, 15 October), before Centrala in Birmingham on Thursday, Hatch in Sheffield on Friday, The Castle in Luton on Saturday and The Black Heart in London on Sunday, playing alongside Ogives Big Band and Pohl.
And Jack added: “We are really grateful for everybody who comes to the shows, listens to our music, and has continued to support us over the years! We’re really thankful for being able to do what we do and we’re always happy to see everyone; if we’re ever near you, come down and say hi, we love a beer and a chat!”
You can follow Sleemo on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Soundcloud and YouTube.
Listen to Sleemo and more new bands on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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