New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Canadian indie-rock royalty
Sloan share a brand-new song, "Scratch the Surface," the latest release from their upcoming studio album Steady, coming out on October 21 through murderecords/Universal Music.
"Scratch the Surface" is released today alongside the accompanying music video which follows each of the band members through different parts of downtown Toronto. Patrick Pentland taking in the lights at Yonge and Dundas Square, Jay Ferguson stumbling upon free records in
Trinity Bellwoods, Andrew Scott spends a night at home with the dogs and Chris Murphy hops on the TTC to Runnymede station, all brought together by stunning drone shots that weave through Toronto's high-rises. It's enough to make any Torontonian get out for a walk to remind them, you're never "alone in the city."
On the music video Sloan's Chris Murphy describes:
"We haven't done a video per se since "Unkind" from The
Double Cross, which was over 10 years ago and we thought it was time we came up with some new visuals because, let's face it, we look pretty good.
Sloan crew and friend that requires I pay him,
Haris Cehajic was bringing his drone to
Sloan shows and taking this great footage and I insisted we could make a cool video for "Scratch the Surface" using the drone.
"The song talks about being alone in the city and I thought we could get some drone shots of buildings downtown and make up the rest on the spot a la the videos from our first record, Smeared.
"I am happy to have this visual representation of
Sloan in 2022. If this video doesn't go viral, it's the last video I'm ever making. Maybe it will go fungal. That's my dad's joke.
"Self-producing the video presented a few challenges—the band even lost one of their soaring cameras along the way! —Hey, if you find a drone near the Eaton Centre, contact me."
The release of Steady will coincide with the 30th anniversary of their debut record Smeared which came out in October 1992.
Sloan are one of the rare bands to make it to their 13th album with all four original members who are equally prolific songwriters and all still working at the top of their respective games, sounding utterly ageless in the process. The album title is reflective of Sloan's impressive 30-year feat, Murphy explains, "They say if you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far go together. I don't know if there are many other bands you can name that are still making records with their original line up 30 years in. Look it up!"
Sloan have spent the summer on the road, bringing their beloved, energetic live show across the country. See below for a list of upcoming Ontario performances.
Steady Tracklisting
Magical Thinking
Spend The Day
She Put Up With What She Put Down
Human Nature
Scratch The Surface
Panic On Runnymede
Dream It All Over Again
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Simply Leaving
Close Encounters
I
Dream Of Sleep
Keep Your Name Alive
Upcoming Shows:
Saturday August 20 Paris, ON Paris Drinks Festival
Friday August 26 Parry Sound, ON Stockley Centre
Saturday August 27 Picton, ON Base 31
Sloan is a Toronto-based rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia who first performed in spring of 1991. Comprised of bassist and vocalist Chris Murphy, guitarists/vocalists Jay Ferguson and Patrick Pentland, and drummer/vocalist Andrew Scott, the quartet possessed a rare chemistry from the start. There are so many moments peppered throughout the 30-year history of Canadian indie rock heroes
Sloan that set them well apart from the pack. From the band's earliest home studio recordings that married their pop smarts with fizzy, fuzzed out guitars, right up to later efforts that contain multitudes in their track listings, ranging from Dylanesque streams of consciousness to short, sharp blasts of power pop - somehow, it all remains quintessentially Sloan.
The band are credited as being a main instigator for the Canadian East Coast alternative scene of the early 90s, garnering comparisons to the Seattle Grunge movement on the opposite coast. Over the course of their quarter-century career,
Sloan have amassed an outstanding collection of over 250 songs and more than 30 singles with airplay at Canadian Rock Radio.
Sloan have received nine Juno Award nominations and won for Best Alternative Album in 1997. The band was named one of Canada's top five bands of all-time in a CBC critics poll.
