“It also touches on tenderness being painful, which I think is very true of me as someone who has spent a lot of my life trying to be very tough.” ““The song addresses absurd ways to love someone or something, and feels very on-theme with things not always being what they appear at first,” says Wellbaum of the track. Opener “Cranium” features a blues-tinged guitar solo inspired by Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” that is so expressive it sings. The backbone of the 10-track record is Leah’s spiritual journey and presence as a guitar god. With a distinct yet unified sound that blends progressive rock, acoustic and pop, Slothrust has never been more confident. Parallel Timeline, mixed by industry legend Billy Bush and mastered by Heba Kadry is a masterclass in balancing tenderness with the fierce guitar work Leah has become known for. I strive to make the guitar sing like a human voice.”Įducated musicians all with backgrounds in classical, jazz and blues, the band’s newest work once again sees Slothrust leaning into improvisation - something that in the past has lent itself to the infectious energy of their live shows. “I enjoy making that choice when it’s right but it’s the contrast of those things that I like to lean into. “On this record, I wanted to be even more precise with the guitar parts as opposed to creating a guitar palette, because a lot of artists, us included, have made songs that are so chock-full of guitar that distinct parts becomes a blur,” says Wellbaum. Leah sought to craft unique and calculated guitar parts instead of continuous bursts of wall-to-wall sound, and in turn delivers what will likely be considered a “how-to manual” for guitar playing in the next decade. They leaned into risk-taking - a freedom that comes with having been in a band together for more than 10 years, cultivating new sonic realms for each track. Slothrust put an emphasis on incorporating new production techniques and processes into the established Slothrust sound, resulting in an extraordinary amount of experimental demo recordings, many elements of which appear themselves on the final record. In advance of recording their fifth studio album, Leah, along with drummer Will Gorin, and bassist/producer Kyle Bann, sought to dramatically expand the band’s sonic palette. She is a strong believer that nothing is quite as it seems, and that a greater reality exists beyond what the human eye can see. For her, inverted colored rainbows and orbs became a gateway to exploring the illusory things we see and experience in everyday life. The iconography of this record explores the space where science and the whimsical intersect, and where the unfamiliar becomes hardly recognizable. The album’s artwork and visuals reflect that ethos as well. Ultimately, it allowed her to find poetic catharsis. With Parallel Timeline, Wellbaum explores the feeling of being trapped inside her own consciousness while simultaneously searching for a meaningful connection to the universe, and all the mysteries it contains.ĭuring the writing process, Wellbaum sought to connect with her inner child – a voice that allows ideas to flow freely and without censorship. On Slothrust’s latest album, bandleader Leah Wellbaum pushed herself to try and understand her own spirituality on a deeper level, putting a lens on the core wound of the human experience, the idea that we’re alone. But she’s never quite examined it the way she has now with Parallel Timeline. Leah Wellbaum has never been afraid of her own humility or honesty.
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