On new album ‘Film Buff’, Slotface delve into the worlds of film and TV to tackle stereotypes, gender roles and toxic masculinity…
‘I Used to Be a Real Piece…’ opens the album with big power pop hooks and lyrics about narcissism and confessions. These lead brilliantly into the repeated mantra of ‘I used to be a real piece of shit but I’m working on it’. The incel-baiting ‘Leading Man’ follows with its tale of an arsehole who never saw themselves as the bad guy and ‘never could get any main roles’, while ‘Final Girl’ prefers beats over riffs – but with melodies brilliantly reminiscent of Carly Rae Jepsen – as Haley Shea declares ‘I’m doing all my own stunts’.
Already becoming a live favourite, ‘Ladies of the Fight’ is a call to arms with huge fuzzy hooks, powerful drums and the words: ‘I have never been punched in the face’. There’s a touch of Anamanaguchi in the zesty ‘Lift Heavy’, a song peppered with call-and-response vocals and geeky references: ‘When I look back on this moment, it was obvious this was my origin story and you were the spider that bit me’; ‘I am a shark, I’ll die if I stop moving’. ‘I Confess, I Guess’ finds Haley asking the big questions – ‘Where do we go when we die? What happens when the lights go out?’ – against a modern Los Camp soundtrack, before ‘Charlie Calls’ heads back into the catchy and spiky emo pop sound that has served Slotface so well in the past.
‘Tired Old Dog’ finds Haley lamenting how exhausting modern life is against scattergun riffs while ‘The Great Escape’ reminded us of Green Day’s ‘When I Come Around’ in its hook, although the lyrics are equally weary and relatable: ‘I’m at this party because I thought I should go, I really don’t wanna be here. I’ll give it two more minutes. This apartment is hell.’; ‘I hate everyone here’. ‘Quiet On Set’ is under 2 minutes of heavy and heady noise, think Refused meets Times New Viking, with some incredible screams at the end.
The album closes with ‘Impression of a Car Crash’, a more acoustic-based song that finds Haley evaluating a performance on stage – and sadly only focusing on the negatives.
‘Film Buff’ is another stunning set of songs from Slotface that speak truth to power and shine a spotlight on the foibles of modern life.