Sly Withers have shared an anthemic new single titled ‘Radio’, dropping it yesterday (August 9) alongside the details for their forthcoming third album, ‘Overgrown’, and an eight-date national tour in support of it.
The new song builds on Sly Withers’ punchy and emotive pop-punk sound, calling back to the mid-2000s style of the genre that the Perth quartet are inspired by. That was verified by frontman Jono Mata, who said of the track in a press release: “The initial idea for ‘Radio’ came about while I was feeling nostalgic and thinking about simpler times.”
Mata went on to explain that the song “talks about the feeling that your thoughts are getting lost in translation and you want to be heard, but can’t organise the words to get your point across” – a sentiment that he “like[s] to think comes through in the song itself” with the way it “sound[s] a little frantic and all over the place”.
On the way ‘Radio’ came together in the studio, guitarist and co-vocalist Sam Blitvich added: “We had a lot of fun with this one. It’s a track that Jono brought in to us pretty much finished already, although we still had a lot of fun making a few small changes in the studio with [producer Dave Parkin], especially in terms of getting the bass and drums grooving a little more in the verses.
“It was one of the first tracks we worked on with Parko and it really set the tone and excited us for what lay ahead with the remainder of the [new album’s] recording process.”
Have a look at the accompanying music video for ‘Radio’, directed by Tim Elphick, below:
Announced with the release of ‘Radio’ was Sly Withers’ third studio album, ‘Overgrown’, which is due for release on October 27 via Dew Process/Universal. Spanning 14 tracks, the follow-up to ‘Gardens’ – which arrived last June, with a deluxe edition following in November – was produced by Parkin (who Spacey Jane also worked with on their latest record) and is said to be “the spiritual successor” to their second full-length effort.
Thematically, Mata said, the new record “explores this next part of our lives with what I would describe as a more overarching view of consequences and responsibilities”. He continued: “It becomes more and more prevalent throughout how the decisions we made as early adults into our mid-20s are shaping us for better or worse and how those consequences effect the community we have built around us.”
“We are so incredibly proud of this record,” Blitvich added. “It was such a joy to make with producer extraordinaire Parko and feels like a really beautiful development on the sound we had already established. It felt like a sequel to ‘Gardens’ in this sense so calling it ‘Overgrown’ felt very appropriate.”
In addition to ‘Radio’, the album will feature June’s single ‘Passing Through’. Shortly after the whole effort is released, Sly Withers will embark on a national tour in support of it. They’ll play in Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and Perth – find tickets for all shows here.
Have a look at the cover art and tracklisting for ‘Overgrown’ below, then find pre-orders for the album here.
1. ‘Overgrown’
2. ‘Liar’
3. ‘Make Do’
4. ‘Radio’
5. ‘Tongue’
6. ‘Stoopid’
7. ‘Hotel Stuck’
8. ‘Put Me Down’
9. ‘Don’t Wanna Leave’
10. ‘Passing Through’
11. ‘Something’
12. ‘Old Enough’
13. ‘Sundays’
14. ‘Last’
Sly Withers’ ‘Overgrown’ Australian tour dates are:
NOVEMBER
Friday 4 – Kaurna/Adelaide, The Gov
Thursday 10 – Ngunnawal Country/Canberra, UC Hub
Friday 11 – Eora/Sydney, Metro Theatre
Saturday 12 – Meanjin/Brisbane, Princess Theatre
Friday 18 – Naarm/Melbourne, Northcote Theatre
Saturday 19 – nipaluna/Hobart, Uni Bar
Saturday 26 – Garrmalang/Darwin, Railway Club
DECEMBER
Saturday 10 – Boorloo/Perth, Astor Theatre