Artist: SLIP~ons
Single: Heavy Machinery
Vancouver’s SLIP~ons have released their newest single, “Heavy Machinery”. The track is from the band’s upcoming EP of the same name. A music video for the single is available on YouTube, and the song is available for streaming anywhere you get your music.
SLIP~ons are a guitar forward, power-pop band from Vancouver, BC. The four-piece was formed in 2012 by Brock Pytel (singer/songwriter) and Brian Minato (bass). The band also includes Rob “Shockk” Matharu on guitar, and Shane Wilson on drums.
Bryan Pytel also releases solo music under his own name, including two recent singles, “Hurrah Hooray” and “Anemic Heart.” Pre-2020, Pytel was buried under seemingly endless hours working in Vancouver’s film industry where eventually the stress and lack of sleep caught up with him and resulted in serious health issues. Reflecting on his mortality, Pytel explained, “One of the things that really hit me at that time was how little music I’d put out into the world compared to how big a part of my life making music is. I was really motivated to get things going in that regard.”
Pytel and SLIP~ons plan to complete more recordings and videos in the months ahead and announce their North American tour dates for 2023 and 2024.
“Heavy Machinery” reminds me of The Flatliners later work (2017 onward), The Menzingers, or The Pixies, which is unsurprising considering the band credits some of their inspiration for the song coming from The Pixies. The song perfectly captures the feeling of nostalgia, painting a picture of being young and carefree, wandering the streets on a night out. Pytel sings: “We walked back to your house/We went upstairs and made-out on your couch.” Meanwhile, the intense guitar solo mid-way through and well-placed gang vocals add interesting depth to the song.
The music video for “Heavy Machinery” features black and white footage of the band rehearsing. It has a chill vibe that really lets the music shine through. I will say that I am not a fan of the constant swirling edits throughout the entire video—I thought it made the video seem dated and gave me motion-sickness trying to watch it.
Reflecting on the video shoot, Brock says, “I’ve always been a bit iffy on music videos, so we just borrowed some grip gear and lamps from my film buddies and created a bit of a playground in our rehearsal space for RD to do his thing. Jam Space Confidential was the theme. RD was really working up a sweat directing traffic, and I love that you can see the crew moving around with us moving ladders and waving light wands.”
Overall, I enjoyed “Heavy Machinery.” I’m excited to hear the rest of the EP!
Check out SLIP~ons on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
