Slowyear are currently showing us all how it’s done. Whilst only having their EP released at the end of last year, the band have played sold out shows, had quite a bit of media attention from UK websites and have supported the likes of Hostage Calm, Such Gold and Saves The Day. Oh, and they’re still in college. Yeah, exactly. It’s pretty good going.
Already Heard caught up with the band to discuss their conception, influences and what the future holds for a band who’ve had such a brilliant start.
Already Heard: Could you introduce yourself and your role in Slowyear?
Slow Year: My name is Hassan, I play bass and do 1/3 of the vocals in Slowyear.
Already Heard: Can you tell us how the band came together? I understand you were originally a hardcore band under a different name?
Slowyear: We were playing together in a hardcore band for a bit, after our bassist left and us getting bored of playing the genre, we decided to start fresh. We began writing a couple of months later and started looking for our sound as Slowyear, then we started recording the summer of last year and things slowly kicked off.
Already Heard: How would you describe your sound and what bands have influenced it?
Slowyear: Our sound is quite mixed, you could hear all the little influences in the songs ranging from bands like Thrice and Brand New to Radiohead and Fugazi. All of us in the band have many different influences, we like to mix them all together while writing and see what comes out, our favorite songs always come from just jamming them out.
<a href=“http://slowyear.bandcamp.com/album/slowyear” data-mce-href=“http://slowyear.bandcamp.com/album/slowyear”>Slowyear by Slowyear</a>
Already Heard: Are there any bands you would compare yourselves too?
Slowyear: I don’t want to compare ourselves with the following bands since they’re all so much more superior to us, but check us out if you’re in to Thrice, Balance and Composure or Radiohead.
Already Heard: Late last year you released a self-titled EP. Why should new fans check the EP about?
Slowyear: To get an idea of what our sound is like, it’s quite hard to put it in to words so it’s better if you just go ahead and listen to it so you can decide if it’s for you or not!
Already Heard: What track from the EP best represents Slowyear’s sound?
Slowyear: Baby Arms.
Already Heard: How has the response been to the EP?
Slowyear: It was great, people really liked it, we got some great reviews and what really helped push it was Punktastic streaming it the week it came out, shout out to them. We’re proud of the EP definitely, thanks to everyone who enjoyed it and supported it.
Already Heard: You’ve also played shows with Saves The Day and Hostage Calm. What were these shows like and how have they helped Slowyear develop?
Slowyear: Those were cool, we were pretty happy to be on the same bill as Saves The Day, such a great band who have influenced a load of bands and it’s cool that they’re still going. The show was fun, lot of people liked it and spoke to us after the set showing interest. (It was only our 3rd show?)
Hostage Calm ruled too, really friendly guys who play sweet music, Hildamay were also on that show, solid people. It was nice to be on those bills as they really helped with getting the name out, really grateful for that.
<a href=“http://slowyear.bandcamp.com/album/fellow-men-dreaming” data-mce-href=“http://slowyear.bandcamp.com/album/fellow-men-dreaming”>Fellow Men / Dreaming by Slowyear</a>
Already Heard: Besides new material, what else do Slowyear have planned in the coming months?
Slowyear: Play more shows and start on our next EP in the summer, we’ve been wanting to tour but due to funds and college and whatnot it’s not been able to happen, I’m sure we’ll sort something out real soon.
Already Heard: Finally why should people listen to Slowyear?
Slowyear: We like it when people listen to our music and come to our shows, in the end that’s all we really have and it’s what keeps us happy and motivated to write and play more.
‘Slowyear’ by Slowyear is available now on Bandcamp and iTunes.
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Words by Michael Brown