Slowly Slowly share tear-jerking tribute to Melbourne

Sometimes, but especially in this dumpster fire of a year, you need a good cry. Melbourne alt kings Slowly Slowly have come in with the goods, with their specially commissioned “quarantune”, an ode to Melbourne, out on streaming platforms today.

The track, named after the city itself, would probably make even the hardest of Victorian souls shed a tear. Frontman Ben Stewart, no stranger to penning an emotional track, was tapped by triple j to compose the tune in reference to Melbourne’s current state of lockdown. Stewart accounted for listener requests on what to include in the track (Rev’s was mentioned, probably more than once) and turned it around in a single day.

Speaking to triple j, Stewart ruminated on the city’s current state of affairs. “I miss all of it,” he notes, “warts and all, so it’ll be nice to have something that encapsulates that weird see-saw of missing gigs and also missing walking around without a mask.” Stewart also put together an accompanying little DIY clip, which you can watch below.

While we’re optimistically expecting that Slowly Slowly are using this time to work on a new album, the boys have also been staying positive, scheduling in a tour for June next year to give their early 2020 effort, Race Car Blues, the party that it deserved. If you haven’t listened to it yet, be warned that Kleenex are pretty much required on every second song (generic tissue brands are also fine).