A few years can change everything, especially in the life of a band. In the case of Sløtface – formerly known (and still pronounced) Slutface – the pandemic era made sufficiently celebrating 2020’s ‘Sorry For The Late Reply’ impossible. By the time live music was once more opened to us all, founding members Tor-Arne Vikingstad and Lasse Lokøy had amicably left the band to try new things, leaving frontperson Haley Shea to consider the project’s future.
Moving forward with new collaborative energy and a desire to embrace joy in the face of adversity, Sløtface has returned with eleven energetic, if uneven, numbers. Shea’s utilization of film and TV tropes to tackle toxic masculinity and gender roles proves hit and miss. Opener ‘I Used To Be A Real Piece of Shit’ may have the most outstanding title this writer has seen all of 2024, but any messaging is lost in a frankly dated and repetitive three-chord chugger.
The following ‘Leading Mom’ starts promisingly, channeling the lyrical charm of Rilo Kiley, but wears out its welcome despite being under three minutes long. ‘Final Gørl’ goes for the synth-rock route, which seems bizarre as Scotland’s CHVRCHES released an identically named song and themed album to much acclaim a few years prior. It’s a scattershot and lightweight start to Sløtface 2.
0, to say the least. — — Thankfully, ‘Ladies Of The Fight’ grabs the listener by the throat and gets you to pay attention. It’s a snarling yet catc.