{"title":"Slate","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"deathless-2","title":"Deathless","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the force of their introductory singles 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha', the band return with an invitation to explore their landscape of violent poetry and gothic propulsion to the fullest extent yet. Prepare to be lulled under their spell once more with the slow-burn of forerunning single, 'Remoter Heaven'. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProduced by long-time collaborator Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's Tom Rees. It begins in a dream state of hypnotic repetition that mounts in intensity, with vocalist Jack Shephard presiding over it all with his distinctive, poetic drawl. His protagonist is revisiting a memory of the pain inflicted by a thorn as a child; \"I was awake with feeling\", he confesses, before the song takes on the momentum that feels like a triumph over the numbness attendant to adulthood. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf the track, Shephard shares: \"I liked the idea of writing a very simple narrative to a big, epic song - something as modest as the story of a child playing in some flowers and then bursting into tears when a thorn pricks their leg. The words are an ode to that sensitivity we embrace when we are young. Then, when we become adults, we insist on subjugating all of that wonderful, absurd rage.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Remoter Heaven' follows on from 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha' which earned Slate rave write-ups and support from publications including NME, CLASH, So Young, DIY, Buzz Magazine, The Most Radicalist and more, as well as early radio plays from the likes of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music, Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, John Kennedy on Radio X and Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmerging from the depths of Cardiff’s burgeoning music scene and heirs to their country’s lineage of storytellers, Slate are barely touching their twenties, but together, they have command of post-punk which rings with the gravitas of a death knell; a grasp of atmosphere and melody which touches on the ethereal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir debut EP, Deathless, is their most ambitious act of storytelling so far. Recorded in one take, the narrative of its six tracks takes place within a single room - or, perhaps, one mind. It begins with what the band feel is some of the darkest material they will ever write, to reaching, in its second half, a place of transformation and epiphany. On the EP's vinyl edition, the lyrics are written out like a diary entry, each one penned in another member's hand.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brace Yourself Records","offers":[{"title":"Black 12\"","offer_id":50417233985867,"sku":"2191687","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/DEATHLESS_SLATE_3000x3000PX_aff2f6af_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726722782"},{"product_id":"tabernacl-st-agatha","title":"Tabernacl \/ St Agatha","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmerging from the depths of Cardiff’s burgeoning music scene, heirs to their country’s lineage of storytellers, are Slate. Formed by frontman Jack Shephard and drummer Raychi Bryant, the four-piece band are barely touching their twenties, but together, they have command of post-punk which rings with the gravitas of a death knell; a grasp of atmosphere and melody which touches on the ethereal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the addition of bassist Lauren Edwards and guitarist Elis Penri who completed the band at the end of 2021, the four bonded over the written word playing poetry games over pints. Together, they found an affinity with the surreal works of Arthur Rimbaud and the Welsh poets R. S. Thomas and Dylan Thomas, whose reverence for their country and its people bleeds into Slate’s own lyrics. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 7\" collects Slate's stunning 1-2 of debut singles 'Tabernacl' and 'St Agatha', which were both produced by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard's Tom Rees. Both songs come loaded with frontman Jack Shephard's distinctive, poetic drawl, blistering yet gothic and ornate guitars and rollicking, road-ready drums. Together they offer a snapshot of a band born fully-formed and prove a statement of intent that's hard to ignore.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf the track, Shephard explains: \"'St Agatha' is the first song we wrote about being Welsh. Though, living in in the south, we each converge at the forefront of anglicisation. At the time of writing, we were indulging in literature, landscapes as well as each another, in an attempt to re-connect with much of our disregarded national identity. So much was left unrevealed to us in school. We read about a churchyard on the border, where some people are buried with their heads in Wales and their feet in England. It was the perfect place to tell the story of a conflicted protagonist. Severed at St Agatha’s, between there and the homeland.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFresh from a recent string of dates opening for Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and some much talked about shows in the dark corners of London's live circuit, the band have performed further across the country this autumn and winter including stop-offs at Cardiff’s Sŵn Festival and Brighton's Mutations Festival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brace Yourself Records","offers":[{"title":"Black 7\"","offer_id":50886340804939,"sku":"2166981","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a1937366116_16_42377fdd_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732509944"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/slate.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}