Marking their card with the immediate vibe of ‘Slew’, the duo’s music shows elements of new wave, electro, dark R&B textures, and pleasing layered melodramatic vocals.
Firm City say the song was written in the wake of experiencing a traumatic burglary and is “a cathartic effort to bring feelings of dissociation and isolation to the fore.”
The title ‘Slew’ comes from the Irish word “slúag” – meaning “host, army, crowd or assembly.”
Slew spawned from a simple journal entry that was jotted down in the weeks following a burglary, as an attempt to process such an invasive experience. It is a call-out for protection from the slúag in the aftermath of an unnerving event that occurred as the protagonist slept.“Woke to a vague sense of silence. Everything was out of place. Something didn’t feel right. Then I saw the curtains blowing in the open window.”
The video, following on the theme, is “about intimacy in isolation and the mundanity of a metropolis” and is directed by filmmaker Danyal Fox, with the band members roaming the streets late at night, seeking solace.
Slew will be released on August 18th 2021.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
