“Wonderful songwriting that is both aggressive and tender.” – Tone Deaf
“They’ve transformed and blossomed into something remarkably special.” – Pilerats
“Taking the high bar the Perth four-piece set for themselves in 2019 and shattering it with an
emotional blast.” – Scenezine
Indie rock outfit Sly Withers might still be Australia’s best kept secret, but the word looks set to explode on the Perth four-piece with the release of their brand-new single and video today – ‘Cracks.’
Arriving as the first single from their forthcoming new album, ‘Cracks’ showcases the sonic and songwriting dynamics ofa band really stepping into their own, as co-frontmen Sam Blitvich and Jono Mata trade lead vocals through a song that’s bursting with the energy and emotion that has become their trademark. ‘Cracks’ premiered this week on triple j’s Good Nights program, continuing the outstanding support the band has had from the national youth broadcaster.
“I think the understanding between the two of us is ever-growing,” says Blitvich of his relationship writing and singing alongside Mata. “I really like the way we’re sharing songs – both doing lead vocals in certain sections. And for ‘Cracks’ Jono wrote a bridge for it off a little melodic idea I had and then on a plane ride back from over east one time I wrote a bridge for it without knowing he’d already written one. That’s how ‘Cracks’ kind of came together. Those kind of things have been really cool to get more in sync with each other in a way that we’ve always strived to do.”
Produced by Matt Templeman (Make Them Suffer – Worlds Apart) ‘Cracks’ highlights the massive step up in production the band has made since the recording of their breakout EP, 2019’s Gravis, with Blitvich explaining they have a much greater sense of who they are in the studio thanks to, “Temp’s help.”
“I feel like we’ve really fine tuned into exactly what the best possible process is for us. We’ve refined how our studio process works between Jono and I, and between us and Temp.”
The single’s release also comes with a brand-new video that was premiered by the excellent taste purveyors at Pilerats. Made during the COVID restrictions, the socially-distanced clip is undeniably clever in its use of scenery, space and scene edits, bringing an impression of what one of the band member’s dads described as like being a physical representation of a Zoom meeting.
“We had no background idea to the video other than like, ‘Let’s have some backgrounds and move them around’,” says Mata. “But the first time Joel [Neubecker, SW drummer] showed his dad, he was like “Oh it’s like a Zoom call, isn’t it?!”
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