Formed in 2016 by brothers Jean and Remí Fossat and Canek Flores, SLIFT make a brand of crushing psych that quickly gained them a reputation for their intense live shows, as well as comparisons to Godspeed! You Black Emperor and And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. Their 2018 debut was in Oh Sees territory but they’ve gotten much heavier since. SLIFT have now signed to Sub Pop, who will release their third album, ILION, on January 19.
The album is named after the ancient greek word for the city of Troy and is a sequel of sorts to 2020’s UMMON. “This is an album constructed in the manner of a Homeric story,” the band say. “Where the two records differ is that ILION is about human emotions and feelings, whereas UMMON was telling an epic story with a distant view. ILION represents the fall of humanity and the rebirth of all things in time and space.”
Along with the signing / album announcement, SLIFT have shared the 11-minute title track that opens ILION. “Due to its structure in ‘drawers,’ with different movements, it represents the album as a whole,” the band say. “It depicts monuments to ancient gods rising skyward from the dusty desert floor of a dying planet, battered by fierce winds. It’s about the people condemned to live on this desolate land. And about the murderers of this world, who leave it for space and the hope of a new world, in a frantic crusade which will lead them to madness.” Listen below.
ILION
1. Ilion
2. Nimh
3. The Words That Have Never Been Heard
4. Confluence
5. Weaver’s Weft
6. Uruk
7. The Story That Has Never Been Told
8. Enter The Loop