The Slow Show - Subtle Love (2023) [Hi-Res]

Subtle Love not only distills The Slow Show’s sumptuous indie pop formula, but it casts the group’s net into exciting fresh waters, incorporating winsome folk (Royal Blue) and anthemic, widescreen rock (One Shot) too. Across ten songs, the listener is taken on an amble through the band’s past and into a tantalising future. It is a highly melodic and moving affair, made by kindred spirits and lifelong friends.

The band decamped to Cave Hill in Belfast, where Joel Byrne-McCullough grew up. “I hadn’t been there for 15 years,” marvels the guitarist. While there, the band stuck side by side and bonded afresh. “It was a great time of togetherness,” reveals Rob. “We lived in the same house, we ate together, we went to the local pub, we talked about life.” Across a five-day period, all ten songs that make up the album had taken shape and been committed to tape by their producer, Joel’s brother, Dan Byrne-McCullough. Dan’s presence enabled an intimacy and familiarity that made everyone feel comfortable, and this brought out the best in the band. One Shot is the first taster from the album and is arguably the band’s most anthemic and sing-a-long song of their career to date. Joel reminisces “I remember when we had the music of One Shot. It was the evening, and we were sat in the sitting room in Belfast, the fire was on, and we were having our dinner watching the news: me, Rob, and Fred. After dinner, Rob was singing a few things over those chords. As soon as he sung, ‘We’ve got one shot’, I said, 'That's it'.”