“Is it a beast of an album? A complete rager? An absolute ripper? Well, if you are talking about Totally Slow’s new album ‘Casual Drag,’ then the answer to all three of those questions is yes.”- Punk Rock Theory
“Formed in 2013, the quartet’s melodic and fast-tempoed jams bring to mind classic material from the likes of Agent Orange, Pennywise, and Adolescents, albeit with a dash of Drive Like Jehu-like noise-rock sprinkled on top.”- No Echo
“….finds the middle ground between Adolescents’ snotty SoCal punk and the harder sounds of DC post-hardcore, and it manages to induce nostalgia and feel fresh and urgent all at once.”- Brooklynvegan
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With a recent shoutout from none other than Laura Jane Grace (who played them on a recent live stream and tweeted out “Totally Slow Rips. Check Them Out”, followed by not 1 but 12(!) fire emoji’s), and a killer new record titled ‘Casual Drag’ on the horizon, things are looking up for Greensboro, NC’s Totally Slow. Watch the “Dead Skater” video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Vinyl: https://refr.sh/casualdrag Spotify: https://refr.sh/casualdrag- Apple: https://refr.sh/casualdrag- Record release show July 24: https://www.facebook.com/ Totally Slow will play The Fest 19 this fall in Gainesville, FL. |
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In punk, a genre that prizes burning fast and bright, it’s rare for a band to make it to their third album. Greensboro, North Carolina’s Totally Slow have arrived at theirs with renewed energy, a revamped lineup, and an inspired, collaborative songwriting process, resulting in Casual Drag, their sharpest collection of melodic hardcore anthems yet. After a series of livewire basement shows and sweaty van tours in several bands over the years, Scott Hicks and Andy Foster formed Totally Slow in 2013, releasing a self-titled LP of driving, catchy punk shortly after. Razorcake Magazine called the ten-song debut “well planned and masterful,” saying that the debut “…goes off without a hitch. It’s perfect.” After 2016 LP Bleed Out’s “powerful, pedal-to-the-metal pop” (the kind folks at Razorcake again), Totally Slow went into flux, speeding up their songs for the Imperium EP and introducing guitarist Chuck Johnson (Torchrunner, Gut Feeling), then recalibrating their lineup. Now on Refresh Records, their third LP Casual Drag introduces bassist Kate Weigand (Saucer) and a more collaborative approach to songwriting. Inspiration struck when this new lineup gelled, and the band that you hear on Casual Drag plays with a collar-clutching urgency that represents the vision of this new collective of people. On Casual Drag’s ten streamlined songs, you’ll hear razor sharp, no-frills melodic hardcore, with angry lyrics that show how the personal is inseparable from the political when the country is on the brink of chaos. For this bracing album, Totally Slow has combined the melodic anthems of 1980s SoCal bands like The Adolescents, Agent Orange and The Faction, with the skewed rawk of ‘90s San Diego bands Drive Like Jehu and Truman’s Water, and the righteous conviction of classic DC hardcore like Dag Nasty, Gray Matter and Fugazi. Not only does Totally Slow burn bright, on Casual Drag, they also feed the fire. Totally Slow is Scott Hicks, Chuck Johnson, Kate Weigand, and Andy Foster. All songs by Totally Slow. Lyrics written by Scott Hicks. Recorded and mixed by Kris Hilbert at Legit Biz. Mastered by Dave Harris at Studio B Mastering. Cover art concept by Ron Liberti. Album layout by Chuck Johnson. Band: https://linktr.ee/totallyslow Label: http://refreshrecs.com |
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What others have written about Totally Slow: “These ten songs are so well planned and masterful that you might miss their genius. This debut goes off without a hitch. It’s perfect. “ – Razorcake “The spectrums and voids may be too much for some folks. It takes a hell of an artist to get better as they burn, but Totally Slow show us it happens.” – Post Trash “Totally Slow revel in a messy, over blown dynamic. Taking the volume and melody from Dinosaur Jr. and adding the fractured chaos of Sonic Youth, the band waivers on that blade between punk and alt-rock. If the later day SST stuff was actually good, it would probably sound like this.” – Punk News “Ever wake up in the morning, check the news, then flip over and scream into your pillow? What if you screamed into a microphone instead? Try it and you might get Totally Slow’s new EP. “ – Razorcake
 
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