To coincide with today’s worldwide Climate Strike, Norway’s Sløtface have shared Sink or Swim, a meditative track and video that looks into the effects of climate change in intimate, personal detail. The song is coupled with lyric video visuals highlighting the work of Rich Horner and Caroline Power, who have been documenting the littering of oceans for years, specifically the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Watch it via YouTube below.
The band have been outspoken about the crisis, taking action in a myriad of ways. They protested Nordic Mining at Førdefjorden which was filmed for their 2016 Sponge State music video. They’ve also performed to Natur og Ungdom, which is the only environmentalist youth organisation in Norway, and at The Climate Crisis Protest in Oslo earlier this year.
Written while on tour during an unnaturally warm period, the new song is, as frontperson Haley Shea explains, “about the desperation that comes when I think about climate change. It’s supposed to be an honest description of how I’m definitely not doing enough to stop it, and how it feels so massive and difficult, but at the same time it in part comes down to lots of small and every-day choices.”
Guitarist Tor-Arne Vikingstad shares, “I’ll be forever envious of the courage of people like Greta Thunberg and organisations like Natur og Ungdom. I grew up with a parent generation that blamed youth for being apathetic and self absorbed, yet the same generation is condemning and mocking kids for standing up for their own generation. It is truly great to see the same people losing their minds over climate protests and Thunberg’s speeches. It’s finally something to separate us from our parents. Something that is ours. And that is pissing older people off worldwide. It’s the battle of our generation, and it’s an important thing to embrace.”
Having spent the last couple of years relentlessly touring their impressive debut album ‘Try Not To Freak Out,’ the band have been sharing new material over the last couple of months, teasing an upcoming body of work. Alongside Odd Martin Skålnes (Sigrid, Aurora), the new songs mark the first time the band have worked as co-producers, creating some of their boldest and most immediate moments to date.
In support of this year’s singles, the band will head out on a UK and European tour with PUP this November, with tickets for the dates below available now.
Tour dates with PUP
Nov 6th | Melkweg, Amsterdam, NL
Nov 7th | Luxor, Cologne, DE
Nov 9th | Loppen, Copenhagen, DK
Nov 10th | Knust, Hamburg, DE
Nov 11th | Bi Nuu, Berlin, DE
Nov 13th | Club Chelsea, Vienna, AT
Nov 14th | Backstage Halle, Munich, DE
Nov 15th | Ohibo, Milan, IT
Nov 17th | Trix, Antwerp, BE
Nov 18th | Le Trabendo, Paris, FR
Nov 21st | Electric Ballroom, London, UK – SOLD OUT
Nov 22nd | SWX, Bristol, UK
Nov 23rd | Academy 2, Birmingham, UK
Nov 25th | Stylus, Leeds, UK
Nov 26th | The Garage, Glasgow, UK
Nov 28th | The Riverside, Newcastle, UK
Nov 29th | Academy 2, Manchester, UK
Nov 30th | The Loft, Southampton, UK
