For a band most people likely couldn’t pick out of a police line, The Slingers have accumulated quite the CV since their mid-2010s formation. A sold-out Corner Hotel gig in their native Melbourne, getting signed to beloved indie label Flightless (run by former King Gizz drummer Eric Moore) in 2020 and notching up over a million streams for their sunburnt spoken-word slice of jangly guitar pop ‘One More Day’ – that’s just a brief highlight reel, all achieved before dropping their debut album, too.
Indeed, the multifaceted quintet have taken the scenic route to get to their first full-length – an admirably artistic approach in a time when such things are rushed out the door within a matter of months. They’ve taken the time to carve out a versatile sonic approach that evades categorisation, establishing a wide-ranging palette that runs the gamut from the synth-driven city pop of ’24 Hour News’ to the delicate indie-folk of ‘Little Conversations’. What’s curious about ‘Sentimentalism’, then, is how it hones in on a specific sound across most of its runtime.
The Slingers have labeled their new approach “motel pop” – a sepia-toned, retro-rock sound that’s heavy on keyboards and cruisy guitar licks. Lyrically, motel pop songs are indebted to interpersonal minutiae. Opener ‘Living In The Age Of Loneliness’ serves as both a tasteful scene-setter and effective introduction to the band’s slick reinvention under this particular guise.
Lead vocalist Robert J. Mahon goes for a velvet-suit crooner approach, somewhere between Jarvis Cocker circa ‘This Is Hardcore’ and Alex Turner circa ‘Cornerstone’, while the band guides his svelte swaying with glassy guitars and a slinking backbeat. It’s backed up by the gridlocked groove and driving Hammond organ of ‘No Harm Done’, a writhing Mahon summoning “an ancient rage” one moment and smoothly calling himself “your backdoor man” the next. A guest vocal assist from fellow Melbourne artist Juice Webster adds some fruity punch for good measure.
Even though it comes off as a little too treacly at times, Mahon’s commitment to the role on ‘Sentimentalism’ is to be commended. On the stripped-back piano ballad ‘Someday Sister’, the playful artifice and kitsch is pared down to make room for a rich, rare moment of genuine sentiment – all while never fully losing sight of the album’s MO. Elsewhere, on the city-pop pastiche ‘Streets of Tokyo’, the band build a synth-driven soundscape that will elicit both a wide grin and a daggy dad-dance in the spirit of John Paul Young’s kitsch classic ‘Love Is In The Air’. Just when you start to think you might want to check out of motel pop, the band pull out the stops to persuade you of an extended stay.
Sure, The Slingers might not stick around in this sound for much longer – there’s every chance they’ll continue to duck and dodge genre in that same eclectic spirit as they have in the past. Whatever they choose to do next, however, will no doubt be executed with the exact same confidence that is showcased throughout ‘Sentimentalism’ – which is enough reason to keep you thoroughly invested.
