Brace yourself for an exhilarating blast of Australian alt rock- with a cool video to match! —Sly Withers return with their latest single, ‘Restless’ (out now). A raw, emotionally charged anthem, ‘Restless’ surges with the frustration of feeling trapped—of yearning to be a better version of yourself in relationships, in life, and in how you show up for those who matter most. Fueled by a powerful sound and unwavering intensity, this track is not one to overlook!
With ‘Restless’ upon us and a new album on the horizon, Sly Withers are setting their sights on taking their big-swinging sound from Australia to the global stage!
We had a chat with Jono and Sam from the band..
The new single Restless explores themes of self-doubt and frustration—was there a particular moment or experience that inspired the song?
JONO: I don’t think this song came from a single moment or anything dramatic like that, just a slow build of emotions that gradually formed a track. I think I have a tendency to put things like that off until it makes sense to put it all down in the one go, so I actually had most of the instrumental sussed for this a long time before I finished the lyrics. Once we got to the point where the song was basically finished we then did a bit of a ‘pull apart and put back together’ which is where a lot of the newer production style came from. It’s really exciting to be in a new sort of era where we can do that in a much more collaborative way.
The track has been described as blending emo-punk energy with polished production. How did you approach the recording process to achieve that balance?
JONO: Shooting for a more polished production style was a big thing for us on this release and largely came down to the demo process for this one and having our new drummer Fraser more involved in the writing/demoing process, he’s got a really great brain for that kinda stuff. In working with our producer Stevie Knight as well he really helped us refine things and his taste and personal style when it comes to producing a track made a big difference. I think it was the right time for us to push for a more modern sound than we had in the past and I think it suits the kinds of songs we’re working on at the moment.
You’ve had success in Australia—how does it feel to be bringing your music to UK audiences for the first time?
SAM: Bringing our music to the UK has been a dream of ours since we were in high school watching youtube videos of bands that we love playing on stages like Wembley Stadium and events like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds festival. Jono and I would daydream about visiting these places with our music one day, and it’s wild that we now get to do it for real. It’s so incredible to have the opportunity to finally make it over here in person and share the Sly live show experience with all of you legends.
You played multiple shows in the UK and also at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton. What excites you most about performing here?
SAM: Sly has always been a live band first and foremost. The live shows are where we really get to showcase what we’re all about (the big loud riffs, the emotional singalongs, the sense of community that we and the audience get from all being in a room together having a shared experience) and it was exciting to be able to bring that “in person Sly Withers experience” to the UK finally. I can’t wait to start building the same type of amazing, supportive, positive community that we’ve been lucky enough to establish back home in Australia over the years. We are nothing without our community, and getting the opportunity to come over here and start building the UK wing of our beautiful Sly family, is really special.
What can UK fans expect from your live shows? Do you have any surprises planned for the tour?
SAM: The biggest new exciting thing is the new music! We put out Restless a couple of weeks before the tour, so the UK is going to be the first place in the world to experience the song live. We’ve added a couple of new toys to the live show setup that will allow us the ability to have some of Stevie Knight’s cool production stuff from the recording in the live show as well (eg. the Glockenspiel from the first chorus, the subtle layers of synth and strings). Most of all, Sly shows are all about that shared communal experience of being in a room of strangers who all suddenly all feel like family. That’s what I’m proudest of out of all that we do, and I can’t wait to be in those rooms and meet all our new best friends from the other side of the world.
With Restless setting the tone for your forthcoming album, can you give us any hints about what’s next for Sly Withers?
JONO: I think Restless sets a really good box of parameters for us to work within for the rest of the album. I think overall we want this next album to be more than just a collection of songs that make a record. So we’re going to be much more selective with what makes the cut and be more considered in why we make certain choices around production style, melodies, structures and all that good stuff.
If you could collaborate with any UK artist while on tour, who would it be and why?
SAM: My 13 year old self would never forgive me for not responding to this with Oasis. Noel’s songs are the reason I picked up my dads old broken acoustic guitar and started writing my own. It’s truly wild that we live in a time where they’re getting the band back together. It’s a testament to the fact that brotherly love always wins out at the end of the day (at least I hope so).
Neck Deep are also a band that we’ve always admired from afar. I think their guitarist Wes is a fellow pro wrestling dweeb like myself, so I feel like we’d get along well with our shared interest in one of the world’s finest artforms.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
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