05 April 2024 - 0 Comments

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The four-piece line-up of brothers Scott Armstrong (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Mark Armstrong (vocals, lead guitar) and good friends Blake ‘Boogie Woogie’ Gibson (vocals, bass guitar), and Zane ‘the Zaniac’ Greig (vocals, drums) joyfully produce an eclectic blend of music spanning a broad-range of influences, positioning theSlacks all over the rock-folk-indie-pop spectrum.

Recorded, mixed, and co-produced with the band by talented engineer Sam Johnson at Rhythm Ace in Ōakura, Crystal Mountain High taps into a fun, nostalgic musical throwback with a traditional rolling drum beat and rockabilly good time bass underpinning country guitars and harmonic melodies.

A tune written for music festivals everywhere, Crystal Mountain High was directly inspired by the band’s appearance at an eco-friendly music festival.

Says Scott: “This song was inspired by Luminate Festival - in fact, I sat down and started writing it before the festival was over. It celebrates all of the amazing music festivals that we have here in Aotearoa. Whatever your vibe, however you roll, you can always find your tribe somewhere among these incredible places, celebrations and people!”

Their performance at Luminate is indelibly imprinted in the bands collective memory bank as the festival endured two solid days of rain before theSlacks arrived, turning the site into a quag mire. The accompanying video to Crystal Mountain High forever documents their set, featuring happily unperturbed naked festival-goers having a great time covered in mud, dancing, and frolicking front of stage.

Scotty explains: “By the time we were half-way through our first song, there were four or five guys having a mud fight. Out of nowhere the stage manager was suddenly sans clothes and swivelling away on the mud dance floor. More people peeled off and joined in. There was mud-wrestling, laughing, dancing, and being free. It was something else!”

Best known for antipodean bilingual pop hits Yeah Nah and the viral sensation Big Aroha, theSlacks excel at writing highly relatable and quintessentially Kiwi lyrics, often visually framed in typically Aotearoa/New Zealand scenarios of coastal roads, the local dairy, the classic fish & chip shop, and most importantly, the local community. Through this shared connection theSlacks continue to create a poignant social commentary fuelled by a selfless desire to entertain, spread aroha, and their good vibes.

Says Scotty: “Our reasons are fearlessly selfish. As ‘guardians of the rolling vibe’, we love the fun and freedom of rolling around the country playing music, we love a live audience – a wild band and a willing audience is the most immediate and visceral interaction between people you can experience. That’s what keeps us going.”

The second track to be released off Information Ape, Crystal Mountain High comes hot on the heels of previous single Love To Go, an adorably sweet tune accompanied by an equally charming video shot with a cast of talented locals at the award-winning Ōkato Fish & Chip Shop. Watch it HERE.

Ultimately theSlacks are four good friends who share a few common drivers: a love for rock ‘n’ roll and the wide umbrella of its rebellious arms, a love of word-play, a love of horse-play, and the sheer joy of writing, recording, and performing good music with good people.

Listen out for theSlacks new album Information Ape due out Friday 3 May - live dates to celebrate will be announced soon!

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