| While Slick recently relocated from sunny Los Angeles to the rocky coasts of Rhode Island, the nine tracks on his new album wander all over the country, some taking the "beaten paths of traditional folk, country, and rock 'n' roll," and others hewing closer to modern alt-country. He describes his third album release as "about finding the specific moment you are in without reminiscing about the past or waiting too long so that the moment is over." | | This reminder not to take our precious time on Earth for granted is evident in the single, "Life's Too Short." "If only I could know/Why you're compelled to go/Each time you bury me low," Slick sings of a lover who's taken flight. Instead of ruminating on the lost relationship, however, the song, with its gently hopeful guitar, urges listeners to move on. "No more tears, no more rage, no goodbyes… We don't get much life to live/Life's too short to forgive." | | Another notable track from the album, "Tumbleweeds," is about just that — tumbleweeds, a symbol of true middle of nowhereness, and as it pertains to Joshua Tree where he and his wife lived. "Watch the weeds bounce by/Follow the soft winds blow," Slick sings, evoking a traveler driving down an empty desert road, finding comfort in solitude. Jake Adamson, Slick's long-time bandmate, lays down an electric guitar solo that meanders like the carefree tumbleweeds. "Not stuck on the path, never know where they'll go." | | "Like snow, the ash is swirling/In the glow of a bloody moon," sings Slick in "Great Apple Fire," a reflection on the devastating 2020 California wildfires and the dread of worsening climate change. He describes watching the hills catch fire: "They ignite one by one/That summer night still gives me the chills." His final warning is a haunting counterpoint to the song's uplifting vocals and soaring mandolin. One day, "The blaze will come for you." | | "End of the Line", the song's second single, sweetens the sting of falling out of love with a catchy melody and instrumentation reminiscent of Southern California surf rock. "There's something on the track/It's too late to go back/We're slowing to a crawl," Slick sings of the doomed relationship. Too many wrong turns have led to an inevitable breaking point. "Switched on this wrong path/We won't escape the wrath/Time overtakes us all." | | After the Dream, Before the Memories was recorded with Adam Lasus (Helium, Yo La Tengo, Mark Mulcahy) at Studio Red in North Hollywood, California, with his seasoned backing band and a stacked cast of guest musicians. He has his album release show March 18th at Perks and Corks in Westerly, Rhode Island. | | And March has already been an unforgettable month for Slick, as not only did he release a project near and dear to him, but he also became a father, which will undoubtedly reshape the nature of his future songs, and frankly, everything he does. | | | | |
