Slow Drag begins with the fuse lit, you can hear it hissing as it slowly approaches the explosive centre. When it finally ignites it is truly a thing of beauty and the soul, hip-hip, and pop sensibilities of the song all combine into the firework of the chorus.
The track starts off with the slow jam of some fuzzed out guitars evoking an old school blues or soul feel to the track. It isn’t long before the more modern flavour of the song makes itself known coming through in the hypnotic bass line and the whip crack of the drums. As it all begins dancing to the shamanic rhythm it takes over and you descend into the welcoming soft cushion relaxation of the mantra of the song.
“Take a slow drag, and breathe out,
It’s all good, no doubt,”
Over its relatively short 3 minute play time the song has a decent amount of progression. It never rests too long in one sound or jam constantly shifting itself around so that even the choruses have an energy and feel of their own. It’s a song that continues to evolve but doesn’t stray too far from its heart allowing the listener to stay excited without becoming predictable.
Lyrically it’s a fresh little take on a love song, it’s more about living your best and taking that necessary moment of reflection before diving into anything; good or bad. The slow breakdown at around the 2 minute mark when everything else fades away and you’re left with just the bass and the vocals really cements what a great hook it is. Also we mentioned it before but it bears mentioning again, the bass is absolute gold on this track.
There’s poetry in the lyrics, hip-hop flow to the delivery, a croon to the melody, and masterful instrumentation in the bed. Every layer can be peeled back and reveal something stronger in isolation. This is truly skilful songwriting, take a slow drag, breathe it in, it’s all good, no doubt!
Words by Matt Miles
