How Slift became heavy music’s least likely viral sensation
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Not everybody has heard of Slift, but anybody would be impressed by the numbers they’ve drummed up. In 2019, the psychedelic three-piece – singer/guitarist Jean Fossat, his bassist/co-vocalist brother Remí, and drummer Canek Flores – stopped by legendary Seattle radio station KEXP to record a live session. Footage of the set was published on Youtube and, over the pandemic, this obscure Toulouse trio became an inexplicable viral hit. Upwards of 1.5 million people have watched the Frenchmen smash genres on camera, their collision of space, prog, stoner and post-rock textures as unique as it is impossible to click away from.
Five years on, Slift are preparing to return to the States for an October headline tour. They’ll be promoting third album Ilion, released this January via Sub Pop Records: the original label of a then-pokey alt band called Nirvana. In advance of the shows, Hammer sat down with Jean to talk about Slift’s improbable journey so far, from their awkward early days playing caves and kitchens to the music they’re making next.
You formed Slift after seeing a Moon Duo show in a museum, but all the members have been in bands together since high school. What is it about this band that made it different from the others and has made it last?
Jean Fossat (vocals/guitars): “When we started Slift, we wanted to invest ourselves in a band full time, so we stopped all the other bands we played in. The idea was to play every show possible, every venue, and to write music and record albums. We got the feeling that it was the moment. And we’re very good friends, so it’s lasted.”
You’re from Toulouse in the south of France. What was that scene like? Was it difficult to get noticed there?
“It’s a small scene. There are some promoters and cool venues, but it’s quite hard for a rock and roll band. There are some strict laws about noise, so it’s complicated to play rock and roll in the centre of town! There are a lot of jazz musicians in Toulouse and there’s a metal scene, but it’s not like Paris or London or Manchester.”
Did you end up playing on some weird bills?
“Yeah! We played with a lot of jazz musicians. It was a bit of a melting pot at the beginning.”
Is it awkward playing heavy rock to a jazz crowd?
“We ended up borrowing some stuff from jazz, like the improvisational stuff. I think we were able to resonate with that crowd – maybe not with all of our songs, ha ha! But it wasn’t too awkward.”
What was the weirdest venue you played coming up?
“In France, we played in a cave, underground. It was a really, really, really small cave and there was water on the floor. All of the electrical stuff was in the water and there was no stage. There were four people, no food, no sleep. That was the shittiest venue we played in France.”
How did you get that gig?!
“I booked the shows back in the day, and I needed to find us a show between Paris and Brussels. [I was told,] ‘There’s this place, it’s gonna be great!’, and it was the shittiest place ever. Ha ha!”
You called it the shittiest venue you played in France. Was there somewhere worse in another country?
“We played a house show in Italy. That was the same: ‘Oh, we need somewhere to play between two real shows.’ Ha ha! Sometimes, small shows like that are incredible. Sometimes, it’s just a guy, and we’re playing in his kitchen to him, his wife, his son and the band on tour with us. That was the worst!”
Your set for KEXP was a bit of a breakthrough moment. Can you describe the experience of going viral like that?
“Yeah, it was really big! Before that, we were playing in France and we’d done some shows in the UK, Belgium and Italy, but it was all DIY shows. After KEXP, we really saw the difference there. There were some big offers for the band from bigger venues and more people at the shows. It was really a game-changer for us.”
What were your thoughts going into that recording? Did you have any expectations?
“No expectations, we were just super happy to be playing for that station. We didn’t expect that much, so, when people kept coming and seeing the video, we were like, ‘Oh, shit!’ Things got really cool.”
It feels like each Slift album is longer, more psychedelic and more conceptual than the last one…
“That’s deliberate. With Ilion, we really wanted to try to not repeat ourselves, and try to push our sound in different directions. [The length of the album] was not premeditated. It’s just like, ‘We played that song and it’s 10 minutes? OK, let’s go 10 minutes! The next one’s 12 minutes? No problem!’ But we are working on our next LP and we want to play some shorter songs.”
How far along are you with the next album?
“We’ve got the big concept and most of the songs. It’s just demos, but we can’t wait to start playing these songs. It’s super exciting!”
There was a three-and-a-half-year gap between [Slift’s 2020 album] Ummon and Ilion. Will the next album be out quicker?
“Yes, for sure.”
Ilion is out now via Sub Pop. Slift tour North America in October. See dates and get tickets via their website.
