Slowly Slowly
For Melbourne quartet Slowly Slowly, the arrival of their fifth album Forgiving Spree marks a definitive turning point – a record that’s as bold, unflinching and anthemic as anything they’ve ever released. Frontman Ben Stewart set himself a clear challenge when the band began shaping the nine-song collection: “I wanted it to be a really solid rock album that had no filler on it. Everything is tightly packaged, made for the stage, and explosive.” Drawing inspiration from stadium-filling icons like The Killers, Bruce Springsteen and John Farnham, the record is steeped in the tradition of classic songs that live and die in the live setting. But while its riffs and choruses aim squarely for the rafters, Stewart’s songwriting retains the lyrical depth and sensitivity that has long set Slowly Slowly apart, nodding more to the confessional craft of Bright Eyes than to throwaway rock bravado.
The seeds of Forgiving Spree were sown on the road. Touring their 2022 album Daisy Chain – which debuted at #5 on the ARIA Albums Chart, their second Top 10 entry after 2020’s Race Car Blues – left Stewart with the sound of euphoric crowds still “ringing in [his] ears.” He channelled that feeling directly into writing songs built for connection, catharsis and communal release. Sessions split between Melbourne and Los Angeles expanded the album’s scope further. Stewart worked with producer Courtney Ballard (5 Seconds of Summer, Waterparks, State Champs, Stand Atlantic, Good Charlotte) on tracks like “Gimme The Wrench” and “Love Letters,” and with Suzy Shinn (Panic! At The Disco, Weezer, Fall Out Boy) on the thunderous title track. Much of Stewart’s final vocal performance came straight from early demos, capturing the emotional rawness of the first take.
For all its muscle, Forgiving Spree is no shallow exercise. Stewart insists: “The idea that the songs are singalong bangers doesn’t mean they have to be frivolous lyrically. I still wanted to dig really deep. I didn’t want it to be a throwaway pop album.” The album’s themes are anchored in forgiveness, love, grief, and self-discovery. The title track reframes forgiveness as a selfish – yet vital – act of self-preservation. “Hurricane” recounts the joy of Stewart’s wedding and the heartbreak of miscarriage months later, written with producer Lucky West to honour the story without diminishing its weight. “Born Free,” the album’s tender closer, processes the loss of several family members and carries such gravity for Stewart that he calls it “the song they’ll play at my funeral.”
Equally central is Stewart’s relationship with his wife, who is both muse and sounding board. “Love Letters” reflects on the idea that every song he’s written for her is a keepsake of devotion. The jubilant “How Are You Mine?” celebrates how she transformed his life – “the alkaline to my acidity” – while “All Time” playfully imagines their love spanning across centuries, from Pompeii to a modern share house party. Elsewhere, Stewart broadens his palette: the buoyant breakup anthem “That’s That” nods to ’80s pop; “Meltdown Masquerade” pokes fun at his younger tantrums with tongue-in-cheek choreography; and throughout, his lyrics reveal an artist letting go of self-punishment in favour of self-compassion. “It doesn’t seem to be a record beating myself up,” he reflects. “I’m practising kindness to myself, first and foremost, and forgiveness is a tool for that.”
If one track encapsulates the band’s mindset entering this new chapter, it’s “Gimme The Wrench.” Inspired by a scene in Good Will Hunting, the song became Stewart’s rallying cry while juggling impending fatherhood, relentless touring and the band’s freshly inked global deal with Nettwerk Music Group. “It was like a gathering artillery kind of thing,” he says. “I needed to hunker down and be kind to myself because I knew the next 12 months were going to be busy. And ‘Gimme The Wrench’ is that ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ moment, like let’s fucking go. I’m so up for it.” That energy radiates across the album and into Slowly Slowly’s live show, where these new songs sit proudly alongside fan favourites spanning their catalogue.
With Forgiving Spree, Slowly Slowly aren’t just refining their sound – they’re claiming their place among Australia’s most vital rock bands. It’s an album born of resilience, love, and the courage to face forward without discarding the scars of the past. Explosive yet intimate, it’s a body of work that honours the band’s roots while reaching fearlessly for bigger stages and broader horizons. As Stewart himself puts it: “Forgiving Spree is about letting go, but also about charging headfirst into whatever’s next. It’s a record made for the stage – and we’re ready to bring it to life.”