SLOTHRUST SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO FOR “CRANIUM”
DANGERBIRD RECORDS
Slothrust is back in our heads with sweet medicine for our hearts, sharing a brand new single and video, “Cranium,” out today on Dangerbird Records. As the band’s first release since 2019, it’s safe to say a lot has happened between now and then. With scores of viable candidates stepping up to claim the mantle of the Very Saddest Girl In Rock, the many skills of Slothrust bandleader Leah Wellbaum are put to much better use in other pursuits.
The new single vividly captures Wellbaum’s powerful voice as a songwriter, lyricist and guitar player and demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and emotional confidence that has deepened in scope as the band’s profile has steadily risen.
With bandmates Will Gorin (drums) and Kyle Bann (bass/keyboards) rounding out the trio’s essential framework, Wellbaum’s quirky visual and tactile inspirations come to life. “I think of “Cranium” as an absurd mating ritual dance by one of those beautiful complex birds with iridescent tail feathers. Except instead of feathers I am holding family heirloom tweezers and my hands are coated in honey. It’s sweet, but incredibly uncomfortable and definitely overbearing,” Wellbaum said of the new single.
She continues to describe the song saying, “The song is about wanting to serve love but not knowing the “right” way to do so— often offering too much, or something unwanted entirely. It is a promise to love both absurdly and impossibly with a heavy sprinkle of pain.” The intentionality of the desire to be of service in a way that’s meaningful and wild is woven right into the song, as Wellbaum’s impeccable guitar playing turns into an epic solo that inspires every hair to stand straight up, and calls so much attention to the moment that every worry seems to release and fade with each note.
“I knew right away that I wanted to end this song with a long, emotive guitar solo in the style of Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain.” Something that really takes you on a journey, but perhaps not the one you were expecting,” Wellbaum adds. The magic of this moment is also captured in the music video that accompanies the single, and fans are taken on a journey into a mystical world of the mind with Wellbaum as the guide, as the visuals hint that our dreams, desires and visions of love might be more real than fabricated and just as tangible as a balloon floating in the sky on a sunny day.
Working again with the accomplished producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Laura Jane Grace) “Cranium” highlights this multi-faceted band’s versatility and hints at new heights to be scaled as they look toward their anticipated new album to come.
Slothrust
[Single/Video]
(Dangerbird Records)
Release Date: February 24, 2021
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Background Photo Credit: Lindsey Brynes
