Slum Sociable are one of those kinds of acts that burst outta nowhere with a shit hot single, fancy press photos, major indie label backing and a veil of secrecy. To be honest, that really irks me (but ya know, you gotta sell that shit if you got it) and in many cases, I end up caring little about that artist. Who am I anyway? I am a nobody to these artists! But since this is my article, let’s pretend they care. Slum Sociable saved themselves (in my eyes) after this media frenzy died down, as it turned out they’re actually a legit shit hot band.
Over the last few years they’ve been making some ripper trip-hoppy pop jams and ‘Name Call’ was easily one of the best local tracks of 2016. They’re back with ‘Don’t Come Back Another 100 Times’, and it showcases a completely different side of the Melbourne duo. The beat is just gone, I mean there is a beat, but at the same time there is no beat here. What is left is a beautiful piece of warm ballad-R&B. This has some of the smoothest synth lines I’ve come across, so textured; creating waves of sound for Miller Upchurch to drown in. It feels like a fight for the vocals to fight to the surface, but Upchurch’s insane falsetto does the trick to demand attention during the chorus. Is this ‘Name Call’ 2.0? It’s too early to tell, but once again Slum Sociable are rising above whatever internal negative connotations surrounding the music industry I put on them, and that’s what really matters here.
Don’t Come Back Another 100 Times’ is out now via Liberation Music.