Review: Sløtface Get Out and Get Real in "Pitted"

Though the majority of pop songs claim the opposite, going out to the club isn’t always the first thing most of us want to do in our time off. In fact, sometimes even leaving the house doesn’t feel that appealing. A night out isn’t always spontaneous fun–for some of us, it requires a lot of self-talk to convince ourselves that going out will really be worth it, no matter our Myers-Briggs personality types. (Which are overrated and contrived anyway, but that’s another article in itself. . .)

Enter Sløtface’s “Pitted,” an anthem for the ones who’d prefer a night in and whose favorite place at the party is alone on the balcony or talking to the dog. The lead single from the Norwegian quartet’s upcoming debut album Try Not to Freak Out (out 9/15/17 via Propeller Recordings) “Pitted” holds nothing back about the reality that some of us need an extra push to get us out the door. Frontwoman Haley Shea told Atwood (as part of a larger interview coming soon) that “Pitted” is rooted in reality: “I really would prefer to be at home watching TV most of the time.” (And with the second season of Master of None waiting for us on Netflix, don’t we all?) But, of course, “sometimes you have to force yourself out because it can end up being really really fun.” Hence “Pitted,” a song that “is kind of my pep-talk: ‘put your dang lipstick on and leave the house’ song.”

Listen: “Pitted” – Sløtface

From the first riff, “Pitted” sets the scene for its lyrics. Slamming guitar complements Shea’s vocals, outlining perfectly the slight awkwardness of not knowing what to do with yourself when you’re out. There’s a ring of relatability in each line–all your self-convincing that the music won’t suck fading as the DJ fails to play “Queen B” or even Queen; the “bitching on the kitchen counter with my girls,” debating whether there are any merits to choosing Pierce Brosnan over Daniel Craig (there aren’t); the decision to finally get out there and dance, but dancing like “dads doing our ‘Hotline Bling’ thing” to mask your self-consciousness and ending up really enjoying it–all are pages ripped straight from reality. Shea’s real-talk lyrics seem to become more truthful with each punchy riff, making “Pitted” a pretty accurate description of a night out in your early twenties.

Those nights when I’d rather stay at home
But I make it out the door
And there’s that one song on, I hope for Queen B
But I can fake it to Bohemian Rhapsody

The fact that “Pitted” could fit right in on a college movie soundtrack in the best way is actually what makes it an example of rock in its purest form. The song’s honesty and refusal to romanticize keeps it true to rock in its purest form–youthful, slightly petulant, and slamming in its takedown of the typical I’m-going-out trope. And even though much of its focus is on reality biting back, “Pitted”’s self-awareness (“God, we’re embarrassing!”) gives the song its humor and ups its honesty. The music video plays up on the song’s humor value, opening with a clip from the viral”get piiiiitted” video and featuring candid clips of the band falling off chairs, jumping off stairs, and the like. To riff on Philip Seymour Hoffman’s version of Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, once things cease to be fun and even a little dumb, that’s when they cease to be real–and that’s the exact feeling Sløtface capitalizes on in “Pitted.”

Watch: “Pitted” – Sløtface

In “Pitted,” Sløtface paint a relatable picture of the reality of going out in the twenty-first century and reminds us that it’s okay to give yourself pep talks and dance embarrassingly. So slap on your best all-black outfit and go try to dance like Drake: the moments that may seem dumb at the time are what end up making the best memories.

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