Moaning, the musical effort from vocalist/guitarist Sean Solomon, bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson and drummer Andrew MacKelvie, will follow-up their 2018 self-titled debut with Uneasy Laughter on Sub Pop Records on March 20. What happens when an abrasive rock trio trades guitars for synths, cranks up the beats and leans into the everyday anxieties of simply being a functioning human in the 21st century? The answer is Uneasy Laughter, the second Sub Pop release from the Los Angeles-based band.

Uneasy Laughter is a collaborative breakthrough which significantly brightens Moaning’s once claustrophobic sound, again abetted by producer/engineer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Melvins). The trio points to first single ‘Ego’, out now, which features a costume-heavy video directed by Ambar Navarro (Soccer Mommy, Oberhoffer, Anna Burch), as an embodiment of this evolution.

“The lyrics are about letting go of your own bullshit to help other people. Wanting to love yourself to love others. The ego can make you feel like you’re the greatest person in the world or the worst.” stated vocalist Sean Solomon. "It makes you think your problems are abnormally different which is isolating and rarely true. The song is a reminder that listening to other perspectives is important and beneficial to both parties involved."

“Musically, the song was started by repurposing a drum beat made for a different demo and putting it on top of a new synth loop. It was a digital collage where we passed Ableton files back and forth,” added bassist/keyboardist Pascal Stevenson. “We purposely avoided the impulse to add guitars to everything, letting the melodies of the synth and vocals be the focus. We wanted to embrace the songs ability to slip between genre lines.”

Solomon, Stevenson and MacKelvie have been friends and co-conspirators amid the fertile L.A. DIY scene for more than a decade. They are also immersed in other mediums and creative pursuits — Solomon is a noted illustrator, art director and animator, while Stevenson and MacKelvie have played or worked behind the boards with acts such as Cherry Glazerr, Sasami and Surf Curse. On Uneasy Laughter, they’ve tackled challenges both personal and universal the only way they know how: by talking about how they’re feeling and channeling those emotions directly into their music. “We want to be part of a community,” he adds. “I wrote online about being sober for a year, and I had kids from all over writing and asking for advice. One of them said, ‘For the first time I can remember, I didn’t drink last night.’ I thought, for once, maybe we did something besides sell a record. That’s a win. That’s incredibly exciting.”

Uneasy Laughter track list:

1. Ego

2. Make It Stop

3. ///

4. Stranger

5. Running

6. Connect the Dots

7. Fall in Love

8. Coincidence or Fate

9. What Separates Us

10. //////////

11. Keep Out

12. Saving Face

13. Say Something

Following the release of the contemplative ‘New Year, New Me’, Norway’s Sløtface share their new single ‘Tap The Pack’. The track is the latest to come from their upcoming second album, Sorry For The Late Reply, with the long-awaited LP, due for release on January 31 via Propeller Recordings. The album marks the first time the band have acted as co-producers, as they worked alongside Odd Martin Skålnes (Sigrid, Aurora) in creating their most accomplished body of work to date.

Building on the hurricane of momentum gathered by their bombastic 2017 debut Try Not To Freak Out, Sløtface’s second album channels their livewire energy into focussed but multi-faceted explorations of both Shea’s experiences of growing up in Norway with American parents, and of wider themes of self-acceptance and self-betterment.

Producer Odd Martin Skålnes’ pop sensibilities complement Sløtface’s knack for melody and memorability and the album bears the marks of influences as diverse as singer-songwriter Julien Baker and socially conscious Swedish rapper Silvana Imam. “It sounds like rock but it’s more defined, in a sense,” says Vikingstad of the end result.

Described by the band as more “minimalistic,” “braver” and more “raw” than their last effort, Sorry for the Late Reply features lyrics more pointed and delicately observed than ever, whether Shea is reflecting on a break-up (‘Stuff’), decrying the injustices faced by women and immigrants (‘S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’), or wistfully moving through her complex emotions about the U.S. and how her experience of nationality has shaped her (‘Passport’).

Alongside the release of ‘New year, new me’, the band recently announced an upcoming headline tour for March, following their last sold out run supporting Canadian punk heavyweights PUP. Please see below for all upcoming dates and further info on the new LP.

Upcoming UK tour dates:

Mar 14th | Southampton, UK @ The Joiners

Mar 15th | Bristol, UK @ Louisiana

Mar 16th | Cardiff, UK @ Clwb ifor Bach

Mar 18th | Nottingham, UK @ Bodega Social Club

Mar 19th | Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Loft

Mar 20th | Leeds, UK @ Headrow House

Mar 21st | Newcastle, UK @ Think Tank

Mar 23rd | Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast

Mar 24th | Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

Mar 26th | Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds

Mar 27th | London, UK @ The Garage

Mar 28th | Brighton, UK @ Patterns

Mar 30th | Paris, FR @ Supersonic

Mar 31st | Amsterdam, NL @ Cinetol

Apr 1st | Antwerp, BE @ Kavka

Apr 3rd | Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang

Apr 4th | Berlin, DE @ Badehaus

Apr 5th | Munich, DE @ Sunny Red