Formed by outcast high school students with similar music tastes in the small Norwegian city of Stavanger in 2013, the pop-punk band Sløtface have been on a perpetual increase of notoriety since they began releasing music in 2014. However, in 2022, following two albums, six EPs, and extensive tours, founding members Tor-Arne Vikingstad and Lasse Lokøy announced that they were leaving the band.
However, frontperson Haley Shea was not deterred and continued the band despite this huge blow. Affectionally (although not officially) dubbed “Sløtface 2.0” by Haley, this new line-up was heard for the first on the band’s latest EP, AWAKE/ASLEEP, released last year.
Haley talks to XS Noize about this new line-up, the longevity of the band, the band’s upcoming album Film Buff and how it serves as an analysis and deconstruction of people’s relationship with media, their forthcoming debut Irish shows in Dublin and Belfast and what people can expect from them, pop music, singing in English versus Norwegian, crediting, sincerity, and much more.
Hey, Haley! How are you?
Hey! I’m good. It’s very nice to meet you!
Since last year, with the AWAKE/ASLEEP EP, we’ve got the introduction to what you dub “Sløtface 2.0.” From a listener’s perspective, it seems consistent with what came before. I was wondering, from your perspective, how do you think, sonically, the two versions of Sløtface differ?
I think the main difference, now, is that a lot more different people are involved. So, like, both other producers and songwriters. So, the album that comes out in September has another producer than the ones we’ve worked with. So, I think that the biggest difference is that each new song or collection of songs that we put out is influenced by whoever’s sonic tastes are part of making it. So, it, obviously, all still has a lot of me in it. I think my main job in this version of Sløtface is recruiting people that I think could make something coßol together in a room, and then I do what I’ve always done, which is write melodies and write lyrics, which has been my most important job in Sløtface, the whole time.
So, I think there’s definitely a throughline through everything we’ve done because that part has stayed the same, but I think Preben [Sælid] – who has produced all of the singles that have come out so far on the album – or Tobias [Maxwell Oslandor] and Simen [Følstad Nilsen] – who play guitars with us, now – I think they’ve really shaped the guitar sounds or Preben’s way of adding texture to things has definitely shaped us, sonically, in a different way. So, I think that’s the biggest difference.
When you have a big changeover like that, where long-term members leave the band, and new people come in, was continuity between the transition important? What was your relation to what Sløtface could be going forward? Was it freeing, or was it daunting when that transition was happening?
I think it was daunting at first, and then it was freeing. After I had come to terms with the fact that there were more opportunities now, just because whoever was involved was going to shape the sound of things, no matter what – so, depending on who we brought in, they would shape it in a new way – I think that felt pretty good. So, the EP that we put out last year is pretty different from the record that comes out in September. The artists that I look up to the most are always the ones that just go with their heart and do whatever they’re excited about. I might not like every album that one of my favourite artists puts out because maybe my interests don’t mesh up completely with what their interests are at any given time, but it’s still the kind of music that I want any artist that I love to make. I want them to make what they want to make, you know? And sometimes our paths will come together and sometimes they’ll diverge, and that’s kind of the artist that I want to be, as well.
So, I kind of figure that not everybody’s going to like everything you do, and, when I was younger, I think I thought – with our first two albums and our first EPs – that everything was going to be the last chance I got to make anything, but now I’m like, “I’ll make this one and then I’ll make another one, and it’ll change and I can’t really do anything about it because even when I think things don’t change, other people will think it [has changed], so I might as well just make things that I am excited about, there and then, and whoever wants to come along can.”
What I really love about Sløtface is that it really is an incorporation of various multimedia forms. To sound like the pretentious humanities student that I am [Laughs], your new record, Film Buff, is very paratextual and intertextual, and that’s always been the case with Sløtface – it has always referenced other texts – but I think for the first time, we’re really seeing a deconstruction of that. Was that concept something that you went in at the beginning or was that something that, when you were forming these songs, was a throughline that you noticed occurring?
It’s kind of the same as it has been for every one of our records: It starts off being unconscious, and then it becomes conscious. This time, it was a little bit different because I started feeling like this was the direction that I wanted to go with on the EP, and the song “Come Hell or Whatever,” that’s on our EP from last year, was our first foray into the universe that we then ended up working in on Film Buff. So, that was the first pancake. So, for the album, I was definitely like, “That was really fun. That felt really good.” I think what I need when I’m making stuff right now is that sense of escape that I get from diving into other pop culture, and that’s where I am in my life. I don’t think I need to be working on anything that feels as serious or as heavy as a lot of other stuff I’ve worked on. So, that became the approach, was just to make that, because it would be fun, and it would provide a sense of escape, and it wouldn’t be as serious, I guess.
Now, pop culture references, in many ways, are how we deal with things on a day-to-day basis. It seems like everything is becoming related to the kind of films we watch, books we read, or music we listen to. I apologise if this wasn’t your intent and was just my reading. [Laughs] I don’t want to put intent on you, but from that deconstruction and analysis, what do you think you learned from making this album regarding your relationship with media or people’s relationship with media?
The main thing I learned about myself was how much I relied on that as a sense of escape. Maybe I learnt that that might not always be the healthiest way to deal with things, but it’s definitely a safe place for me. Having to think about why I wanted to make this record and write these lyrics, I guess it was diving into why – especially movies and curling up on the couch, under a lot of blankets – is my safe place. I think there are a lot of memories of that from childhood that feed into why that still feels like a safe thing for me. So, maybe I learnt that about myself on a more “Maybe this is something I should work on”-level, but the other main thing that has happened since we’ve started releasing singles is, in a world where so many things feel really shitty right now [Laughs], that little sense of joy or spark that lights up my heart when somebody else likes the same thing that I like… – especially, on the internet because that’s not always such a positive place for me – …when somebody else likes the same thing that I like and they’re excited that somebody wrote a song about it, that, to me, feels really special, and that’s kind of what I’m excited about, about playing things live, too, is meeting people from all over the world, from all kinds of different backgrounds, who just like the same thing that you do. It’s very basic and childish, but it just makes me really happy to talk about something that I love with other people who love the same thing, you know?
Totally. I think our media consumption is being decentralised because everyone is focusing on their own individual media diet. I think the central forms of one television station and one radio station are dying. Everybody’s listening to their own thing, reading their own thing, watching their own thing. Does that make it harder to have media relations? Do you think it’s easier or more difficult now to relate to people, as everything seems countercultural?
I don’t know if it’s easier or harder, on the whole. I guess it may be more difficult on the whole, but, for me, I think it’s a part of who I see myself as and part of my identity, anyway, just because I grew up in Norway. I’ve lived here my whole life, but my parents are both Americans, so I’ve had different pop culture references than my peers anyway, and I think that’s a pretty common experience. Like, if you’re either super into your niche when you’re a teenager, and you go to school with people that don’t like the same thing that you do, or you grow up in a different culture than the one that your family is from, I think all of those are pretty universal experiences in feeling like it’s your thing, which can be positive or negative.
So, I think this is just a search for exactly what you’re talking about, which is… – and I don’t know if I’ve felt it very often – ….we’re all in the same pop culture place, all at the same time. So, I guess this is kind of me looking for that. I want people to like the really niche references, and I want people to listen to the songs because they know what I’m referring to, but I understand that not everyone will know everything that I’m referring to, which is why we make pop music because then, hopefully, that’s something that people can relate to, a catchy song that you don’t have to understand all of the references.
Based on that, do you think pop music is a safe entry point for more cerebral or expansive ideas? I think of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s cover art
I guess, maybe, but I’ve also realised that I really enjoy song lyrics and writing them, but that’s also the tricky thing, which is that you have such a limited amount of space to do it. So, I think, with very complex ideas, it’s fun if you can fit them into a pop song, but I think it’s tricky to do. Like, I can’t do it. Everything we write ends up being quite superficial, just because you have a very limited amount of words to do anything in if you’re making a two-and-a-half minute song. So, I don’t know; anything that makes you curious or wants to learn more about it is a good thing, and I think pop music can be a really good tool. But it’s not, maybe, where I’ve gotten my most “lofty” ideas. [Laughs] It might not be where my mind has been opened up the most.
Talking about the album’s paratext, you published a list of some of the media that influenced this record. It reminded me of years ago when Charlie Kaufman released I’m Thinking of Ending Things. People were given itemised lists of content that were referenced in the film. What do you think knowing about those additional texts adds to the overall impact of this record?
I think the main thing for me is that it feels the most honest. I want it to be very obvious where the references come from; I don’t want it to be confused with something I made up at any point. So, just wanting to be really honest with people is a big part of why that’s important to me. And it’s how I relate to the world, especially social settings, which can sometimes be tricky. I think talking about something that somebody else made that people can watch, read or listen to is a very accessible way for me to relate to people. So, I think that’s why it’s important to be very clear about where the references come from. And I guess I also hope that it’s kind of a way for people to discover our band. Like, even if you haven’t heard of Sløtface before, maybe you really like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, and then, suddenly, you have a new band you want to listen to. Or you like new horror movies, which can be a way into our band. I guess the dream when you make music is for you to think that the people that like your stuff have really good taste, and I think if people like other pop culture things that I also like, I think that they have good taste, and I would also like them to listen to our band!
[Laughs] Totally! One other thing I wanted to talk about, in terms of the music having widespread appeal, […] when I speak to people from countries where English isn’t the first language and who make music in English, common themes are that it makes it kind of accessible on a broader scale – internationally, English has a wider appeal – and that, for the songwriters, it can be a lot easier not to overthink when it’s not in their native language. It’s easier to express what needs to be expressed without being too worried about the connotation of everything. Has that been your relation with making music in English? Was that something consciously thought of when Sløtface began, or was that just more of a consequence of being influenced by majority-English-speaking music?
No, for us, it’s a bit different, because my parents are American, so I’ve grown up speaking English as my first language. So, for me, English is my inside voice, if that makes sense. It’s the language that I think I connect to, most deeply, with who I think of as my true self, because that’s the first language that I learnt to speak. So, that’s why we sing in English; just because it feels like the most direct way to access those honest things. But, one of the things that Norwegian songwriters talk a little bit about is that there are more words in English!
Yeah! [Both laugh]
So, there’s more to use.
Actually, I once spoke to an Oslo punk band called Hammok, and their lead singer, Tobias, felt that Norwegian felt a little too jagged when he was singing. I don’t know if you feel that way about Norwegian, because I feel no way, one way or the other. [Laughs] I just wondered if you have any opinion on that? Does it sound jagged to listen to in songs or does it sound fine to you?
No, it sounds fine, but it just sounds different. Like, there are just different connotations to different words or sentences, depending on which language you’re listening to. So, I write music with other people outside of Sløtface, and I write lyrics and toplines for other artists, too, and, in Norwegian, like you were saying before, I think things can be perceived as more honest or more cringe if they write something in Norwegian than if you wrote the same thing in English, you know? For people who write in English as a foreign language, I think if you’re used to hearing pop music in English then that’s what you think pop music should be like, but it’s also easier to take shortcuts and write things that sound like other pop music and not necessarily write things because that’s how you really feel on the day or that’s how you would say something to another person.
Everybody loves it, and I love it, too, the new Charli XCX album, [Brat], because it feels so conversational, but I think that makes it stand out in that pop context because, you know, a typical radio pop song sounds like a typical radio pop song because of the words they use, and the phrasing, and the cadence, and all those things. In Norway, I think the biggest difference between not writing in English is that you have less to go off from. Like, you have fewer things that it can remind you of, basically.
One thing I want to say, based on that, is that I think pop music is getting more creative and idiosyncratic. For years, pop music was dictated by major labels who were kind of conservative in their approach, wanting to stick to the known and the familiar, and things like speaking on political issues were absolutely frowned upon. Now you see a lot of pop artists who are creating their idiosyncratic music and also speaking on the things that are important to them. Do you find now, maybe because of the dissolvent on major labels and their influence and grip, pop music is getting more interesting, is getting more vocal, actually has more to say, or what’s your relation to pop music now versus, say, twenty years ago or whenever?
[Stops to think] I think that’s a hard question to answer because there are, obviously, all kinds of taste markers or identity markers based on what kind of music you listen to, and I’m definitely somebody who grew up with indie gatekeepers and I wanted to like things that other people thought were good. But, at the same time, I’ve always loved pop music in all its forms, and it doesn’t have to be quirky or cerebral for me to love it. I know about myself, now that I’m thirty, that I like a good melody. It doesn’t really matter what is under it; if it doesn’t have a good melody, it might be hard for me to get into it, and pop music really has good melodies, a lot of the time. Like, that’s very simple for me. So, I think a lot of very big popstars to me and to my personal taste might be more interesting now, just because it seems like there’s more stuff going on and it’s freer and weirder and has more personality, but I think one thing that I’m maybe starting to maybe be a little done with, with new pop music… – and I think it’s a product of social media and TikTok – …but how it’s so self-referential.
It’s very about the artist commenting on who they are as an artist, a lot of the time, or, like, “This is what I’ve done before, so I’m going to make this song now because everybody will know that it’s a reference to the last thing that I did,” or just the importance of lore in building a popstar, and if you haven’t put all parts of yourself online, you’re not interesting, or the critique of Dua Lipa, for example, where people are like, “This doesn’t have enough lore or personality for it to be on the same level of a lot of other pop music.” That, I think, is problematic, and I also think that it’s getting a little bit boring because, if you’re always very self-referential, it’s not about anything else or anyone else or other relationships. It’s just all coming from a very me-centric place. So, I think, over the next couple of years, that’s probably the thing that I’m going to get bored of. Still, I think all of the freedom, costumes, diversity, and characters are great, really fun, and interesting. I’d much rather have that than ten pop artists that all kind of look the same and wear the same clothes because that’s what’s in style in that given moment, you know?
Totally. I agree. The metatextual thing you discussed expands beyond music and creeps into all art, especially film and television. There’s an issue now where fans have such direct communication with the artists, and they can see opinions in real time on a broad scale. It seems that people have to be self-effacing and can’t be sincere. On a wider scale, do you think there’s any issue with sincerity, in the sense that if everybody’s being wink-wink, quirky, and trying to be aware of their critiques, is going to have any impact on sincerity?
Maybe.
Or maybe I’m just being a dramatist. [Laughs]
No, no. It’s interesting; I just haven’t thought about it like that. “Maybe” is my best answer, probably. I am a big fan of sincerity and would like for there to be room for that in the pop culture that we consume, and I think it would be a shame if that were the case, that everything was so metatextual and self-referential that there wasn’t room for that, anymore. So, it’s definitely something that I’m thinking about a lot. Sincerity, how to be honest, and how to be direct, especially with an online presence, is one of my big preoccupations.
Perfect. You’ve been very gracious with your time. The last thing before we go is to plug your upcoming tour. You’re doing a tour of Ireland and the UK. It starts on the 23rd in Dublin, at The Workman’s Cellar. The next day, Belfast, Ulster Sports Club. Is this your first time in Ireland?
Yes, it is. We’ve never played Dublin or Belfast before. So, we’re really excited. We definitely have some hardcore fans who have been waiting for a long time for us to get there, so we’re really excited about those shows. This is part of my project of being sincere and honest with people about it, but it’s a really busy fall [autumn] for people because, since the pandemic, it feels like more and more releases and tours and stuff just all sync up, so that everybody is a little bit more in competition with each other than it felt like, before the pandemic. So, for that reason, our tour begins before the album comes out. We start on Monday, and the album comes out on Friday, but technically, the good thing is that we’ll technically have the record’s vinyl for sale at the merch stand before it comes out. So, that will be a cool part: Our first trip to Ireland is also the first place in the world where you can get that physical record, so I’m excited about that. It’s going to be, like, a special, physical, one-time thing!
Sløtface’s new album, Film Buff, releases on Friday, September 27th. The band will perform at The Workman’s Cellar, Dublin on Monday the 23rd and at the Ulster Sports Club, Belfast on Tuesday the 24th. Tickets for the gigs, preorders for the album, and everything else can be found on the band’s website.
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