As regular readers (yeah, I’m out for flattering myself again) will know, I’m a total sucker for a solid vocal and here with new track Complexity, Mirfield/ Heckmondwike based The Slates totally kick it out of the park.

The song itself starts as a solid chugging steady rocker with seriously heavy guitars, perhaps along the lines of a Catfish and the Bottlemen track, but it doesn’t take long before the tune opens itself up to a much wider and inspired story, with a nice layering of rhythms going on, and that imploring vocal weaving in and out of the beats. The ending builds up to become a magnificent sonic landscape.

I know I have a mad imagination sometimes (a by-product of a youth packed full of self prescribing dear reader), but the journey of this song zones my mood into a road going down to the sea at a place I love on the Isle of Skye – first you are on a country road, you then catch a tantalising hint of the coast, and then car abandoned, you are out in all of its beautiful windy glory, space all around. It’s purity this track.

Complexity is coupled with another cheeky little extra, a track called Jackpot. and the sound and maturity in these tracks are well beyond this bands tender years.

The band (Louis Barnes, Joe Briggs, Jude Wales and Zak Oldroyd), tell me that Complexity was written when the band were just 14/15 and has been a couple of years in the making and developing. The lyrics seem to refer to someone who always likes to be at the heart of things, and the band say it was an issue at the time, but now the band find the subject quite funny now things have moved on. I think that’s the brilliant thing about writing, be it songs, stories, or even blogs – you catch a little time capsule of what emotion you were feeling at the time, and it is like a little critter preserved in amber. This one is worth putting on a chain and wearing around your neck; this song totally rocks.

The Slates have a great set and live performance and they are due to complete one of the biggest gigs to date playing support to the totally magnificent Skinner Brothers at the Leeds Brude on 10th March. Trust me I’m gutted I won’t be at what may well be the Leeds gig of the year.

Chris R

* images have been taken from the band’s social media

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