Slow Cinema find inspiration at the bottom of a bottle with new single, Balta

Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows or mates and good times. A lot of the time its pain, its struggle, it’s a desperation just to get through the day with the hope the next will be better. A special mention has to go the artists, of which Newcastle’s (Aus) alt-rock outfit Slow Cinema are one, who manage to find beauty in this struggle. Their new single, Balta, is a track that cuddles up to you when you’re lost in the snow. ‘It’s cold’, it says, ‘but, we’ll be warmer together.’

This is a song about addiction. It’s about the loop one finds themselves in when in its midst and how we’re only ever ‘making plans to start anew’ when we’re at the ‘bottom of the bottle’. While the song specifically references alcohol, for anyone that has experienced addiction of any kind, or is close to someone who has, this is a wildly relatable observation. The true tragedy of addiction is that it clouds the mind of its best judgement until it’s too late, until you’re at the bottom of the bottle.

But what is really special about Balta, is how well Slow Cinema manage to convey the sentiment of the lyrics musically. The syncopated drum patterns and stop-start guitar lines never allow the listener to feel too comfortable. They niggle at you and make you crave relief from the discomfort they create. That is until that fucking guitar solo. The backing instrumentation falls into half-time and the guitar soars into a full lighters up and arms around your mates moment. It’s absolute satisfaction. It’s release. Exactly like the feeling you get from the first sip of booze after a long day of wanting it. Make no mistake, in a song about addiction, this is absolutely intentional, and an incredible demonstration of talent in such a young band.

The chorus too is great. It’s been playing on repeat in my head ever since I first listened to Balta a few days ago. It begs for a live sing along, emphasising that sense of companionship I mentioned earlier, and really showcases the power of the vocalist. He has the kind of gritty tone you can only achieve when pushing your vocal cords to the limit, and you can only push them that far when you really mean it.

As I listen, I’m transported to a place we’ve all been. It’s the end of the night, in someone’s shed or backyard. It’s cold, and we’re squeezed onto an old couch and maybe a milk crate. There’re empty bottles of booze scattered around the room, no one is talking, we’re struggling to finish our drinks, and we’re all wondering why we aren’t tucked into bed where we really want to be. But we’re all doing it, and Slow Cinema are here to let us know we aren’t alone.

You can catch these guys play on September 23^rd at The Void Bar on the Central Coast, or the 24^th at The Ship Inn in Newcastle.

Listen to Slow Cinema on Spotify

For more info, check out Slow Cinema on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. If you enjoyed this, check out more reviews from IAMUR here… You might just find your new favourite artist!