Indie Light

Slowmove are an alternative/post rock outfit made up of members from across Glasgow and Edinburgh. We’ve had the good pleasure of covering Slowmove on Indie Light a few times now, and you can click here to read more. Full disclosure, I’m reviewed this EP a while after the release, so the current members are a little different from when the EP was actually released. At the date of the release, the line-up was as follows: Gemma on Vocals, Lukas on Guitar, Joe on Guitar, David on Bass/Vocals and Den on Drums. Today, I’ll be reviewing their EP ‘Before We Came to Know’ which was released February 3rd 2023.

‘Night Thoughts’ kicks things off hard and fast, blaring guitars blending with powerful percussion, to create an intense phonic blast, the singer joins the furious beat, their voice rich and yet melodious, a nice counterpoint between the male and female vocals as well. I really liked the relentless and passionate energy throughout the track.

‘Golden Stitches’ starts off slower, a building of strings and drums, lightness blending into a phenomenal fusion of superb instrumentals. The build for this song is just long enough to begin to anticipate the vocals, and then right on time they kick in. I really like Gemma’s performance, she’s got a strong and engaging voice, one that battles with rather than against the heavy instrumentals. I really enjoyed the slightly more subdued nature of this track, it lets you get a feel for the band as a whole, and uses softer, more melodic vocals to balance out the heavier, harder stuff. 

‘Clouded’ is another slower track, more percussive build up, it has an almost mirky feel audibly which makes sense considering it’s called ‘Clouded’ but once the bass kicks in and then the drums begin in earnest things clear up and just get awesome. It’s very close but I think this is probably my favourite track on what’s been a superb EP. Again the vocalist really blows things up with her powerful vocals, and the whole thing just comes together really well. If I had to mention a particular highlight to this track though it would have to be the phenomenal percussives throughout, but especially right towards the end. 

‘True to You’ kicks off with some truly tight strings which open strong and gets stronger still, and just as I had to mention some superb drumming in the previous track, this one has some sensational additions from the guitars and bass, really tying together yet another strong entry on what has been a truly standout EP. This also has some of the best vocal entries of the entire release, which is saying something as the median quality is already pretty high. I think this scoops the number two slot for my personal favourites on the EP. 

‘Run Down’ closes things out with an absolute banger of a track, powerful and frenzied and just raw in a way that makes me so glad I got the opportunity to hear their music in the first place. It also keeps things at a slightly more subdued pace, a contained energy and softer vibe, which balances out the EP as a whole showing a sense of overall consistency and compositional skill which makes me like them even more. 

So that’s what I thought of Slowmove’s EP ‘Before We Came to Know’ and if you want to check it out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the band by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.