A high-octane eruption of raw energy and spirited emotion, “Apollo” soars to breathtaking heights as Brooklyn’s Slow Fiction dive into the depths of their own humanity, reckoning with how we define ourselves and what it means to be your own individual in this fragile and turbulent world.
for fans of The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Stream: “Apollo” – Slow Fiction
You can stand on your own, think on your own, speak on your own, but it’s easy to forget your light when you’re standing under someone else’s for so long.
From the moment “Apollo” starts, there’s little question as to who Slow Fiction are or what they’re setting out to make.
A fire burns deep in the Brooklyn band’s emotionally charged indie rock sound, starting with a lone set of heated, passionate vocals and overdriven guitars, and eventually permeating throughout their thunderous drums and sweltering bass work. Inspired by the post-punk revival that originated in their city some twenty years ago, Slow Fiction are scholars of the past and voices for the present, their first release of the year an undeniable reintroduction that not only sets the tone for all that may come, but also inspires us in the process to look inward and assess ourselves.
How ironic that we might glean so much about a band from one track, considering the song itself is all about struggling to find your own identity.
Such is the power of a dynamite song: A high-octane eruption of raw energy and spirited emotion, “Apollo” soars to breathtaking heights as Slow Fiction dive into the depths of their own humanity, reckoning with how we define ourselves and what it means to be your own individual in this fragile and turbulent world.
I love you
But I don’t know you
I just try to see you for
How I believe in you
I remember standing in your sunlight
And I felt it on my
Facing everyday was something different
But it isn’t now
I’m tired well I tried
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Apollo,” a red-hot musical explosion that promises to light a fire inside all who listen. Releasing January 23, 2024 via So Young Records – and arriving alongside news of the band’s signing to So Young Records – Slow Fiction’s first song of the year follows last February’s independently-released self-titled debut EP Slow Fiction, which Atwood Magazine hailed at the time as a beautifully cathartic soundtrack to dancing while crying: “Inner turbulence spills out not in hushed whispers, but in soaring shouts,” we wrote, further praising “the seismic churn of heavy-hitting guitars; the unrelenting rush of vigorous drums; the delicate, soul-stirring vocals that shine like a beacon of light – hopeful and heartfelt, like a sturdy anchor in life’s stormy seas.”
The Brooklyn, New York City-based five-piece of Julia Vassallo (vocals), Joseph Skimmons (guitar), Paul Knepple (guitar), Ryan Duffin (bass), and Akiva Henig (drums), Slow Fiction debuted in early 2022 and have quickly found their niche in the pocket between the dreamy and the visceral: Their songs hit hard, hit fast, and never fail to leave a lasting mark, both on the ears and on the heart. “Apollo” accomplishes both with effortless grace and undeniable charm; especially as Vassallo and her bandmates hit their stride in a cinematic climax.
I’m standing in the doorway of someone else
but I want to go home cause I should be by myself
and I always thought that I knew how to sing
but you wrote the notes so I don’t know anything
But I love you
I don’t know you
I just try to see you for
How I believe in you
“‘Apollo’ grapples with the struggle of dependence on a person or entity, and the subsequent dissolution of dependence,” Slow Fiction vocalist Julia Vassallo tells Atwood Magazine.
“Self-reliance is a skill that we learn and unlearn over and over. Of course, you can stand on your own, think on your own, speak on your own, but it’s easy to forget your light when you’re standing under someone else’s for so long.”
For Vassallo, this song is “the recognition of being in love with what someone could be, but not what they are in reality.”
The title references Apollo, the Greek god of sunlight and poetry (among other things).
The Greek gods, often so flawed themselves, were often idealized versions of humanity. Yet we are not them, and in this song, Slow Fiction grapple with this truth.
“I remember when I was the sunlight,” Vassallo sings in the second verse. “For a minute we just stood in place and waited for forever, but it’s never now – we’re gone and there’s no sun.”
The frontwoman explains how “Apollo” is about “perhaps realizing that a person is not a god – without them you can still exist, create, and have a voice. Darkness is the absence of light, but it still has a word and meaning.”
Vassallo leaned on lessons from Greek mythology as she wrote this song, exploring how those stories conveyed ideas of identity and self-expression.
“I was thinking a lot about mythology obviously, so along with Apollo, I’m a fan of Echo and Narcissus,” she says. “Echo is a nymph who is cursed to only speak the last words of someone else, so she’s unable to tell Narcissus she loves him; she can only watch him love himself.”
I remember when I was the sunlight
For a minute we just
Stood in place and waited for forever
But it’s never now
We’re gone and there’s no sun
I’m standing in the doorway of someone else
but I want to go home cause I should be by myself
And I always thought that I knew how to sing
but you wrote the notes so I don’t know anything
And I always thought that I knew how to sing, but you were my voice, now I don’t know anything…
Disillusionment can easily lead to dissociation, and in turn discord. In “Apollo,” we experience the visceral, unrelenting weight of that upheaval – and its harrowing effect on a soul – as Slow Fiction wallop the ears with dramatic, cool, and controlled finesse.
Julia Vassallo is our guide through this volcanic turmoil, emerging as a fearless band leader, a provocative lyricist, and an intoxicating vessel of passion and integrity. While the ideas laid out in “Apollo” aren’t new – we should all strive to own our own identities apart from anyone and everyone else – Slow Fiction deliver their message in an empowering, inspiring, and easily accessible format.
A veritable hit full of sonic strength and emotional furor, “Apollo” is a stellar, stunning return for a band we’ve been eager to hear more from since their debut – and Slow Fiction did not disappoint! The band will surely be releasing much more new music this year with their new signing to So Young Records; for now, rediscover yourself and your identity on their breathtaking single “Apollo,” streaming exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
I’m standing in the doorway of my own house
I don’t want to go inside cause then I’ll be by myself
And I always thought that I knew how to sing
But you were my voice, now I don’t know anything
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:: connect with Slow Fiction here ::
Stream: “Apollo” – Slow Fiction
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