‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next are Up next are the Seaside Sloths (FKA ‘The No Problemos’), who have just released their sophomore album, ‘Claws’.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
We are the Seaside Sloths. A group of like minded sloths from Kapiti that have come together to form a cartoon hip-hop sloth band.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
Our debut album ‘Fear & Slothing In Sloth Vegas’ came out in early 2021, and since then we have been working hard on our second album ‘Claws’, which was released in August.
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
Our music can be found across all streaming platforms, including Bandcamp and Youtube. You can follow us on social media through our Facebook, our Instagram, or our Soundcloud.
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Boogie – Everythings for Sale
The Beatles – White album
Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
We would love to work with Casual Healing or Estère.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
We have only actually made it once to Wellington as the Sloths, we played at Newtown Festival so that’s our favourite so far.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
It all happens organically, they have all just taken shape naturally as a collaboration between us all.
When/where was the new album recorded?
At James and my (Tim) studios over the last two years.
Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
Our studios are at our homes. James and I are the co-producers of the sloths and this latest album features one song ‘Feeling Nice” produced by my brother Henry. I did the final mix and master here in Paraparaumu.
How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
Us producers will pitch instrumental demos to the vocalists and if they resonate with both of them then we have a sloths track on our hands. The vocals are then recorded and the track moves into more of a development stage. More instrumental layers and sections are often introduced. I like to compare the process to carving, revealing what was already there rather than creating something. As far as themes go, time and space have always been the big ones for us. Time is a human construct that sloths do not adhere to. Rushing around to meet deadlines may suit a lot of people but oftentimes a more desirable outcome can be achieved at a more leisurely pace… also aliens are a thing.
Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
Not different but rather a natural evolution. Our debut album, ‘Fear and Slothing in Sloth Vegas’ was a process of finding our sound. Once that was established we were able to explore it in further depth, hence the ‘Jaws’ theme of our latest album (that’s not actually why but it works eh?)
Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
Yep, plenty of gear. We brought in multi-instrumentalist Jo Jenkins to sprinkle his magic throughout with guitar, flute and marimba alongside our usual setup.
Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
I suppose ‘Give It All Away’. I wanted it to be the first track of the album to orient the listener to the fact that this is a multi-genre project with many unexpected twists and turns.
Is there a physical copy available? If not, which digital platforms is it available on?
Unfortunately no but a retrospective vinyl pressing of all our albums is very much on the cards one day. We’ve been working with DRM for distribution and they have assured us it has been released on all the major streaming platforms. It will also be available for download on Bandcamp as soon as we can remember the password to log in…
Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs? Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?
We released our video for ‘Give It All Away’ which was animated by the incredibly talented Theo Arraj. We also sold out our album release show in Paekakariki, for which we are very grateful for. Plenty more shows on the horizon and hopefully more videos (nudge, nudge NZ on Air). Thanks a lot and don’t forget to slow down…