New York Band Slow Fiction on the Release of Their Debut Self Titled EP
Photo by Sid Simons
The five set New York band that goes by the name Slow Fiction sets forth to release their newest single “Jericho” on February 15th along with their debut EP on the 16th. All coming from different states through connections and Craigslist ads, the band is composed of Julia Vassallo (vocals), Joseph Skimmons (guitar), Paul Knepple (guitar), Ryan Duffin (bass), and Akiva Henig (drums). They describe their debut EP as having “a little bit in it for everyone,” cultivating a nostalgic 90s rock sound with a modern edge. Julia’s sublime vocality primes their music with an essence of storytelling in each song, partnered with the array of talent each member brings to their sound. In a conversation with Unpublished Magazine, we talked about their favorite movies, the story of picking a band name, and the creative processes behind songs such as “Jericho.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: How did you guys come up with the name Slow Fiction? Did you guys consider any other names before?
[JOE]: Yeah, a lot. I actually think coming up with the band name was like the hardest thing we had to do.
[RYAN]: We would stop every rehearsal making everybody throw out a couple band name ideas before we left to eventually kind of land on the right thing.
[JOE]: We were "The Bends" for a second and then everyone said that they're gonna think we're a Radiohead cover band. So we had to ditch that.
[JULIA]: The one guy who was booking our first show, he was like, "What do you guys call it?" And Joe was just like "the bends." Just shot it out which was honestly so good. But then he was like, "Oh, you guys like Radiohead?"
[JOE]: I think it was just in the group chat one day, I think there were two names that we like put together.
[JULIA]: Yeah, I was just like, "What about slow burn?" And you were like, "No." And I was like, "What about Blue Fiction?" And then Joe was like, "what about Slow Fiction?" And then we were like, "Yes, it's so good."
[UNPUBLISHED]: Are you guys all doing music full time right now? If not, what are you guys doing outside of music?
[PAUL]: Between the five of us, we have all different sorts of day jobs slash night jobs, just ways of making money. Julia and I work at restaurants and sometimes a music venue at night in the city and in Brooklyn. And then Akiva, our drummer, he also does a lot of film work on the side as well. But, you know, music being our main focus, the goal would be to get to a point where that could be the majority of the time. But it's not the easiest.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You guys have your debut EP coming out soon on February 16th. Congratulations, how are you guys all feeling?
[JOE]: Great. It's like the combination of pretty much everything we worked on since we started the band. We put out like a double single and then two singles. But, these songs have been brewing for like a year, pretty much mostly 2022 and maybe even a little bit before. The ideas have been kicking around.
[RYAN]: I think it almost doesn't really feel real that it's going to be out in two to three weeks. I think just because we've been sitting with it for so long, if anything I almost have a sense of relief more so than the excitement which is also a very real part of it. But just because it just feels so liberating to finally be at what feels like that finish line of being able to put it out and release it.
[JULIA]: I'm just proud of the transformation that some of the pieces have taken. And it's definitely exciting for other people to be able to hear them. I was just reflecting on it the other day, just listening to one of our really old versions of one of the songs and I was just really proud of everyone in the group. With just how much more skilled and together that everyone's become in the time that we've been together. I feel like it is a testament to our relationship as a group. It's the first time where I've been reflecting on something within the group and you can see a clear progress and be proud of something that you've worked on with other people. So it's nice.
[JOE]: I think each song has taken at least two or three forms. “Brain Protection Agency” was the first song. Julia showed us that song before we even were Slow Fiction. So we've been working on that ever since. So we're very excited to have that out there.
[RYAN]: Yeah, there's some very early versions of that floating around online, like a demo, a live cut. And the EP take sounds nothing like either of those. So it'll be a big change for some people who are used to those versions too. But maybe all the other demos will see the light of day at some point.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I noticed the release date is really close to Valentine’s Day. What themes can we expect with this EP – love, distraught, joy, yearning?
[JULIA]: I would say it covers a broad spectrum. It could be the perfect post Valentine's Day release for anybody if you have a flair for the drama, for being analytical. There's a song on there for just saying "Fuck you. I want to listen to something that has loud guitars and I can just kind of scream along to." There's a piece for everyone. The closing track is really more heart wrenching, emotional. But then there's the track “Jericho” that's upbeat and kind of, you know, self deprecating. So I think there's a little bit in it for everyone.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Is there a song that you guys are all excited for people to hear?
[JOE]: I feel like “Jericho.” “Jericho” was another one that started very differently. We went on a little week and a half long tour last year and we played it every single night and every single night we were changing something. And then we took it back and workshopped it even more. I think even the day before we were recording it, we were making changes to it. So, it's like a of-the-moment snapshot of what Slow Fiction was like at that time.
[RYAN]: We tried playing “Jericho”. It might have been the first or the second time we played it on that tour and we weren't really even sure when we were playing it how the song was supposed to end. The venue we were playing at was having power problems. The power happened to cut in the venue right before we were gonna hit the part we weren't really sure how we were gonna get out of it anyway. Pretty lucky because you know there's a lot more of an ending on the real track now.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Did you guys take any new creative approaches with Jericho?
[JULIA]: Definitely, I think because of what the boys were just touching on. It was brought into the group. But, then we literally would take sections of it and manipulate them while playing it. I would say it was a really important song for all of us together because we weren't just like, "Oh, and here's the song, and it's done. And we're gonna go play it now a bunch of times live and it's just gonna be solidified as that, the song." It was like, "we're gonna go and play it and then we're gonna be unhappy with part of it. And we're gonna go back and be like, we're changing that, and then go and play it again." It was like a repetitive process. So, I think that it worked backwards a little bit, which was a new way for us, but it ended up making us start to work a lot more like that, you know?
[UNPUBLISHED]: One of the singles from the EP that you have released so far is called “Top 10 Movie Scenes.” It’s truly cinematic, hence the title. I was wondering, what are some of the band’s top movies?
[PAUL]: Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve.
[RYAN]: Yeah I was going to pick Oceans too.
[JULIA]: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. That's like one of my favorite movies ever. And I'm due for a rewatch now, so I'm just like “get the tissues.”
[RYAN]: I mean, I've seen Knives Out like twenty times. That movie for me is like hot soup on a cold winter day. It's so for whatever reason comforting. I know it's like a murder mystery movie, it can be dark. But I love that movie so so much. I feel like I can't not mention it.
[JOE]: Did you like the new one?
[RYAN]: Not the same. I did enjoy the new one. I think I'll keep coming back to the first one a little bit more. But, I'll be excited for the third one and whatever else comes out too.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Picture this, someone is listening to your debut EP for the first time. What’s the perfect place to do this?
[JOE]: At the show, live. I think that'd be a cool way to experience it. A lot of the songs are pretty much full live takes with some overdubs.
[JULIA]: If you couldn't be at the show, for whatever reason, maybe if you're in a different country or state. If you could be on public transportation in a really bad mood, borderline brought to tears, just sitting on a train or bus of some sorts. So maybe in the car, you're just drained after a long day. You just pop that on the speakers, turn it up, no stops.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What have you guys been listening to lately? What’s been on your radar?
[JOE]: Feeble little horse is my favorite right now.
[JULIA]: Weird drastic contrast of like Rachmaninoff. I've been listening to a lot of classical stuff again, Maurice Ravel. And then I've been returning to old old stuff -- The Smashing Pumpkins, Harry Nilsson, Nick Cave.
[PAUL]: Tons of local artists. Been Stellar, and Lovechild and Punchlove, all really cool New York bands that we like to listen to as a whole. THUS LOVE. Yeah. Super cool.
[RYAN]: Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Art School Girlfriend. Some Dry Cleaning. The new Daughter song I've listened to on repeat a lot for the past two weeks. It's probably going to be my top song of the year already. Which is maybe a sadder start to the year. I know a couple people in our apartment are trying to learn how to DJ so we've kind of been delving a lot more into dance music lately too. I don't know if that's gonna bleed into the sound of the band or not. But, we'll see. It's been fun to explore.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Do you guys have a favorite place that you guys have performed at so far?
[JOE]: Mercury Lounge in New York. Before that it was my dream venue and playing it was awesome. We played it I think three times.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What does the future of Slow Fiction look like? What can we expect in 2023?
[PAUL]: In the short term, I think we're going to try to get ourselves ready and get the songs ready to start playing live again. Throughout the process of writing and recording the EP we kind of slowed down the rate at which we were playing. So, to get back to playing live and hopefully traveling, to play as many places and to as many people as possible. We're playing a festival in New York City in March, The New Colossus Festival. So that'll be our first time back playing since the EP will have been out, it'll be the first chance for people to hear it live. After that, we're making plans to hopefully be in Texas for South by Southwest. The rest of the year is pretty open. I mean, we have some high hopes, but we'll see what comes with that.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Anything else you want readers to know?
[JOE]: Thank you for reading and thank you for listening.
[PAUL]: Thank you for listening to the music.
[JULIA]: We love you.
