Under - Slick

"Under's live shows leave jaws wide open and drooling, sounding somewhere between Fantomas, Swans and the Melvins but with this nightmarish circus vibe"
Terrorizer Magazine

When Slick dropped on 30 May 2017, Under made it clear that their debut full-length wasn’t going to sit quietly in the shadows of the underground—it was built to meander, to unnerve, and to reward those who lean in. With tracks like Mirth Of Crows and Tended Ones among its nine pieces, this album sits at a strange, thrilling crossroads: sludge and doom roots entwined with noise-rock’s jagged angles, avant touches, and vocal experimentation.

From the unsettling opener Mirth Of Crows through to Below In The Wreck, Under take you on a journey of contrasts. Some tracks surge with distortion and slow, oppressive riffs; others twist into clean vocal passages or serene moments that feel almost alien in this heavy context. Home feels personal yet oppressive; Slump plods under grotesque weight; Straw Man shifts dynamics in disorienting but satisfying turns. Every song holds space for discomfort and beauty alike.

The trio—Andy Preece (drums & vocals), Matt Franklin (bass & vocals), Simon Mayo (guitar & vocals)—share vocal duties, pushing the album beyond simple dualism of clean vs harsh. Harmonies, overlapping voices, sudden shifts in tone all help build something that feels alive and unpredictable. Slick isn’t polished gloss; it’s ragged in parts, uneasy in others—but always honest.

Recorded and produced by Simon Mayo at Spirit Studio in Manchester, then mastered by Katie Tavini, Slick sounds like a document of a band pushing themselves—carving texture, leaning into oddity, letting riffs stretch, pulling back for atmosphere, then letting chaos return. Alan O’Neill’s artwork (at Zonument) frames the album visually: slightly surreal, dark, and uncomfortably compelling.

In Slick, Under didn’t just issue a debut—they introduced a world. One full of tension, weirdness, heaviness, and nuance. It’s a record you return to and discover something new with each listen: an album where contradictions become part of the appeal, and every dissonance feels like it leads somewhere meaningful.