Slaves have told NME how their new EP ‘The Velvet Ditch’ shows off the “two perspectives” of the Kent punk duo.
Their latest effort, which is released today, sees the pair showcasing four new songs which failed to make the cut on 2018’s ‘Acts of Fear and Love’.
The first track, ‘One More Day Won’t Hurt’ is described by guitarist Laurie Vincent as one of their strongest tracks to date – but he says it didn’t fit in the landscape of their third album.
“Knowing you’ve got a song like that in your back pocket is a nice feeling and it sounds like everything we want our band to be,” Vincent told NME earlier this week.
The track is also one of their most thoughtful too, with the pair riffing on how widespread drug use has affected society. A late section of the song sees vocalist Isaac Holman chanting ““.
“It’s that honeypot and small town mentality of where we’re from, and being unable to escape,” Vincent explains.
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“It is kind of right, because when I was growing up, drugs were so prominent in all of society and with our job, it’s clear how visible substance is. There’s all these different walks of life, but drugs can be this unifying factor in their lives. It’s almost like the norm now, so we were exploring how it affects us.”
If the first two tracks sees Slaves on typically furious form, the latter half of the EP sees the duo heading into more serene territory. While Isaac says it reflects the “two perspectives” of the band, the title track is a contemplative ballad that sees them exploring the idea of home comforts.
“Isaac’s from Tunbridge Wells in Kent and there was a comedian who coined Tunbridge Wells as being the Velvet Ditch. It’s a place of comfort,” Vincent explained.
“He’s had a few spells being back in Tunbridge Wells and been in-between houses. He has these little periods of his life where he comes back into contact with old friends and past acquaintances and it’s about how easy it is to be lured into that honey pot.
“It’s a comfortable nice place to be, but obviously it isn’t always the best place for you.”
And as for the EP itself, they say it’s reflective of how modern culture has changed the way in which music is consumed.
“Music culture has moved on a lot and albums don’t have the same importance as when we were growing up. It’s more about people wanting to consume a lot of music and you have fans who might only know a couple of tracks off an album.
“But they won’t consume them back to front in the way they used to,” Vincent said.
The duo will also mark the EP with a series of intimate shows at the end of the year. Check out those dates in full below.
DECEMBER 2019
7 – Dome, Brighton
9 – Parr Hall, Warrington
10 – Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow
12 – ULU, London
13 – ULU, London
14 – ULU, London