Sløtface, formerly known as Slutface, are a Norwegianpop punk band from Stavanger. Formed in 2012, the group started when vocalist Haley Shea and guitarist Tor-Arne Vikingstad began writing songs together, later being joined by drummer Halvard Skeie Wiencke who had previously played in a hardcore band with Tor-Arne and bassist Lasse Lokøy. Releasing their first single "Angst" in 2014, the band signed to Propeller Recordingsrecord labelin the summer of 2015. In October 2015, they released "Shave My Head" alongside B-side "Get My Own". The release was succeeded by their third single "Kill Em With Kindness" in January 2016. On 1 April 2016 the band changed their name to Sløtface, citing social media censorship issues and released the single "Sponge State", reaching critical acclaim. The single became the lead track of the band's debut EP, Sponge State. The band released their second EP, Empire Records, on 18 November 2016. The four-track EP included singles "Take Me Dancing", "Bright Lights" and lead-track "Empire Records", the latter single garnering huge support from the music and film industry alike with its references to the 90s cult-classic films Empire Records and High Fidelity. On 27 April 2017, the band announced the upcoming release of their debut album Try Not To Freak Out along with its first single Magazine. The album was released on 15 September 2017. The band was mentioned in an episode of Sex Education, a Netflix Series. In October 2019 the band announced the new album ‘Sorry for the late reply’ The album was released on 31 January 2020 to positive reviews.
Musical career
Hailing from Stavanger, Norway, the four-piece formed after vocalist Haley Shea and guitarist Tor-Arne Vikingstad began writing songs together. The band was then joined by drummer Halvard Skeie Wiencke - who took some convincing to join Sløtface, but "he enjoyed it - so he continued playing!" - and later by bassist Lasse Lokøy. To date the band have released three EPs, Slutface, Sponge State and Empire Records, an album, Try Not To Freak Out, 13 singles. On 28 April 2017, the band announced the release of their debut album Try Not To Freak Out alongside the release of new single Magazine - set for release on 15 September 2017 via Propeller Recordings. To coincide with the album's release the band also announced a 30+ date tour of the UK, Europe and Australia.
Name
The band's name was chosen to juxtapose with their feminist message and grab attention. In an unreleased 2016 interview, the band said that the controversial name didn't cause them too much trouble back home, with their increasing popularity even leading to the Norwegian government to pay them to tour high schools in their home country. Despite Norway's large English-speaking population, the band said that the name was not nearly as provocative there as it would turn out to be in the UK and America. On 1 April 2016, citing "social media censorship", the band permanently renamed themselves to Sløtface, - still pronounced "Slutface".
Political activism
The band are known for their feminist lyrics and attitude, as well as their vocal support for causes such as protecting the environment, and gender equality. The band's video for the 2016 single "Sponge State" sparked a huge reaction and became a topic of conversation. The band are shown performing on top of Norway's Førde Fjord in support of, and alongside, youth activists who are engaged in a peaceful protest against the mining company Nordic Mining dumping more than 250 million tonnes of chemicals and waste in the fjord. Sløtface said of the event, "After an eleven-hour drive, four ferries and a blizzard, we finally got our gear up the mountain and played a show for the chained-up activists and some Finnish workers. Best audience ever. Eventually the boss man from Nordic Mining showed up and called the cops – the protesters were arrested, and each received a $1200 USD fine, and we got banned from being on the mountain." More than 80 people were arrested during the three-week protest, starting from 1 February 2016, with the young activists fined in excess of US$100,000 and targeted in a Nordic Mining lawsuit to the tune of $250,000. Charges were formally dropped in April 2016. On 8 March 2017, the band joined in with millions around the world, marching for International Women's Day in their home country of Norway. They have spoken about their stance on women's rights and feminist issues multiple times, and regularly write about feminism and equal rights within their songs' lyrics. When in Austin, TX, USA for SXSW 2017, the band were interviewed by CNN for their stance and thoughts on women's rights and equality under the new President, drawing praise and criticism alike. "With Trump in office, it's really important to keep the fight for women's rights more active than anything right now because we don't want to take a step back"
