Slack Times - "I'm Trying"

You may not be familiar with Slack Times yet, but if their current string of releases is any indication, then they’re about to make waves in the current jangle-pop scene. In a mere two weeks' time, the Birmingham, Alabama trio has become one of my favorite new bands thanks to their keen understanding of what makes a guitar-driven pop song truly stand out from the crowd. Their vocal melodies fly high and their guitar lines are crisp, clean, and quite memorable. The chorus on their last single, “Carried Away,” beams with a dazzling, deliberate twang, while their first release of 2022, “Look At You,” boasted a series of rollicking riffs with a brisk, oscillating bass line as its unshakable foundation. They’re a band that knows how to write tunes that’ll stick with you. 

The band delivers once again on “I’m Trying,” their latest effort, which we’re excited to premiere today. The jangle of their guitars remains omnipresent, but the overall mood is more solemn, lyrically evoking introspective feelings of separation, isolation, and maybe even mortality. The song also has a wonderfully endearing Flying Nun vibe to it. Like their Kiwi predecessors (specifically, The Chills), Slang Times show that they can be a bit gentler and lighter rhythmically without sacrificing any of the key components to their signature sound. It’s another fine example of how the band’s already mastered the art of breezy guitar pop. 

“I’m Trying” will appear on Slack Times’ forthcoming compilation record Carried Away, which collects their two previously released EPs, At The Melon Rendezvous and Up Here, and features six previously unreleased songs. You can pre-order it now on limited edition red vinyl via Bandcamp. The record drops on June 24th via Meritorio Records.

Keep up with Slack Times by following them on Instagram.