“Slime” by How Strange It Is transforms grunge energy with its wildly unusual and rhythmic intro into an indie rock gem that explores our shared human experience.
A sultry lead guitar leads the high-energy instrumentation, driven by drums that sit perfectly in the pocket. The highly electric rhythm section and sound effects feel like they are straight out of an ‘80s science fiction movie. These elements give the song a perfect structural build for a track with such contrasting sections.
“Slime” features an arrangement typical of the rock genre, but it also embraces an incredibly soft and emotional vocal performance that glues everything together. It is a Midas touch that transforms the song into something deeply comforting. It beautifully captures our shared human struggle to break free, even when we could have embraced the quiet centre of the storm all along.
I kept getting lost in the beauty of the song, which is a massive stamp of approval in itself. The soundscape is nice and wide, balanced in tone and dynamics, as well as in clarity in terms of the spatial positioning of its elements. The distortion on the guitars is entirely intentional. This is a feat achievable not just by the best engineers, but by the most creative ones as well.
Ultimately, “Slime” brilliantly balances high-energy instrumentation with a comforting and emotional vocal performance. It’s a creative indie rock gem that I highly recommend listening to whenever you need to feel understood.
Check out the music video for “Slime” below.
Written by Oluwaseun Adeyemi
