FEATURE: Spotlight: Chloe Slater — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Gunning

Chloe Slater

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IF you get the chance…

PHOTO CREDIT: Hayley Thompson

to see Chloe Slater on tour, I would recommend it. This is a fabulous young artist who is tipped for big things. You can see where she is touring here. I want to come to some interviews so we can get to better know Chloe Slater. To start, I am heading back to May and NME’s chat:

“For all the debate about TikTok’s negative impact on music, sometimes the algorithm does latch onto some jewels. That was the case with Chloe Slater, a Manchester-based indie artist whose videos teasing her buzzing, sprechgesang-style single ‘24 Hours’ were unexpectedly pushed by the platform, her cropping up on For You pages lip-syncing to its addictive first verse that begins: “It’s not clear if I am ripening or rotting.”

‘24 Hours’, which was released in February, wasn’t the 21-year-old’s first experience of sharing her music – that came in 2023 with the downcast whirl of the indie-meets-stormy-electronics ‘Sinking Feeling’ – but it was her first time gaining an audience. “When I put my first single out, no one listened to it,” she tells NME over Zoom from her bedroom, the wall behind her decorated with a Camel cigarette packet, art prints and postcards.

“You’ve said you want to speak about issues that often aren’t spoken about in music – other than influencer culture, what does that include for you?

“Definitely the biggest thing at the moment is class disparities and how massive the gap between the rich and the poor is getting, because it’s actually insane. I was just looking at the Met Gala. I’m seeing it all over my TikTok and it literally looks like the Capitol in The Hunger Games. I found out they all have to pay £75,000 for a ticket, which is insane.

“It just annoys me because I think all these people with this much money, all the things that you could be doing with it – why is it going on stuff like that? But that’s definitely a big one, and then feminist things as well. It’s just mainly all of the things that concern young people today – not necessarily just young people, but it’s from my perspective and all of the things that make me angry about the world and all the things that I wish I could change.”

You have got people debating postcolonial views and misinformation in your TikTok comments. Even if those debates often come from negative intentions, does it feel like your music is starting conversations?

“Yeah, 100 per cent. One of the criticisms I get is ‘you’re not saying anything groundbreaking, this is just the most basic left wing propaganda’. But I think politics can be quite inaccessible in this country and a lot of people were not really taught it in schools – it’s typically private schools that teach politics more.

“So I think it’s also given a view of being a really boring thing – when I was 16, I thought politics was really boring because I didn’t know anything about it or understand that everything is politics. It’s not just like stuffy men in suits, it’s the whole world and everything that you care about. So if I can make it digestible in my music, it’s like a stepping stone to starting to think more about the world that we live in rather than just having absolutely no idea at all.”

When did you first start getting interested in politics?

“Probably when I was 17. It was when it was Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn. I wasn’t old enough to vote. I just remember being so angry because there’s so many young people that are so educated on issues – more than a lot of people who can vote. It’s really frustrating for young people sometimes to see people making decisions for the world that they’re gonna grow up in, and they can’t do anything about it.”

Are you hoping you can use your platform to encourage young people of voting age to vote in the next general election, whenever that may be?

“That’s what I want to do with this, so yeah, I’d love to do that. It’s crazy because there were the [local] elections the other day, and none of my friends knew it was happening – they hadn’t registered to vote in time. I think it’s ridiculous how hard it is to actually be aware of these things – it should be on billboards everywhere. The amount of crap that’s on billboards now… why not put actually important things on there? But yeah, I want to be able to really make a difference”

This is an exciting moment for Chloe Slater. She announced a new E.P. last month. Before getting to other interviews, CLASH shared news of the release. Since its release, the E.P. has been getting a lot of love and positive feedback. If you have not heard it yet then I would urge you to listen to it now. It is a phenomenal E.P. from an artist with a bright future ahead:

“Out now, the EP follows a string of ace singles, blending her imperious ambition with unbridled honestly. Making her debut with ‘You Can’t Put A Price On Fun’ last year, Chloe has taken huge strides, and now shares her brand new EP.

‘Love Me Please’ speaks from the heart – ‘Fig Tree’ channels an inspirational reading of Trainspotting, while ‘Imposter’ and ‘We’re Not The Same’ are all-out pleas of independence.

In a note, Chloe Slater calls the EP “amped-up indie music, all centred around love and life in the 21st century…”

The first three singles explore themes like influencer culture, feminism, and social class, while songs like ‘We’re Not the Same’ and ‘Imposter’ reveal a more personal side to my music—one I haven’t shared as much before.

I feel like my sound, as well as my confidence in my own opinions and interests as a young woman, has really grown throughout this project. I’ve poured my heart into every song, and seeing how my audience has grown with me has been incredible. The response to the releases so far has never ceased to amaze me!”.

The penultimate interview is from DORK. They included Chloe Slater on their Hype List. They highlight an artist who is writing about class struggles, crooked landlords and universal themes that are giving voice to these important subjects. Her music connecting hard with people. An artist very much for the people:

“There’s an awful lot to get riled up about these days. A one-second glimpse at the latest news headlines is enough to stoke a fire in many of us, with little sign of it dying out any time soon. Often, we turn to music as a distraction, an escape, a place to find comfort. Chloe Slater offers something completely different – she throws fuel on the fire and dials that anger up to the absolute maximum, and rightly so. Her music is somewhere you can be interrogative and justifiably annoyed without feeling the need to stifle any of it.

She may have only released her first single last year, but Chloe has already created a storm with her incisive, incendiary tracks. Her debut EP, ‘You Can’t Put A Price On Fun’, saw her wittily criticise everyone from influencers doing endless unboxings to the uber-rich unaware of their privilege, pretending all is well. She’s mastered the art of a track that stirs something in you, equally explosive lyrically and sonically.

“A lot of the main stuff people write songs about is love,” Chloe says. “I still write songs about that, but there are so many other things in my brain and in my life that I want to express. When I write a song, it’s usually because I’m angry. That’s the motivating factor, and the stuff I’m angry about is all that weird societal stuff that we experience.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Gunning

From crooked landlords to the gulf between the classes to the capricious beast that is internet fame, they’re the kind of discussions that wouldn’t be amiss in any group of mates, delivered in the pub with an exasperated tone and an eye roll. Granted, Chloe writes them much more eloquently than most, but that sense of frustration is shared.

“I really struggle to write about stuff that isn’t real or stuff that I haven’t felt,” Chloe explains. “It’s always been about my life, and I like to make it fairly obvious. It’s not always super poetic, but I think the truthfulness of it connects with people.”

Whether it’s a conversation that is already being had or a new one being sparked, the unendingly catchy nature of tracks like ’24 Hours’ makes these everyday experiences and injustices that bit easier to swallow. Chloe provides solidarity and space to let your fury rise to the surface, be it at the government or an out-of-touch video on your For You page. Within those few minutes, emotions are validated, and the need to speak up and contribute is more keenly felt.

“Women are socialised to be really agreeable, and nice, and not too angry,” Chloe reflects. “If you are angry, then you’re a bitch. I definitely feel that in my everyday life. I’m quite anxious about speaking out about stuff. I’ve got a lot better, but my music is a place where I feel the freedom to express all of those feelings. It’s helped me become more like that in real life, which is really nice.”

What began as an alter ego of sorts acting as a vehicle for Chloe to express these feelings has become more and more entangled with who she is – her music has been an act of empowerment – for her listeners, too. Having this environment to find yourself in the throes of anger despite being consistently to suppress it is vital, and Chloe encourages that for the young women listening to her. It’s hard not to feel incensed when closely listening to her lyrics, but there is some release in there, too. With each new track, things become heavier and more anthemic – the songs lend themselves increasingly to jumping around and unleashing those emotions in full force rather than bottling them up.

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Gunning

“It’s a good mix of wanting to spread awareness about certain issues and make people feel seen that are struggling with these things, but I want them to come to my show and let it all out in the chorus and know that everything is going to be okay. That’s the kind of vibe.”

She’s already begun curating that atmosphere in her live shows. Across festival season and impressive support slots with the likes of Kings of Leon and The Beaches, the last year has seen Chloe really begin to find her feet onstage and continue to communicate her message. Watching those artists further ahead in their careers perform in front of a crowd has seemingly been a huge source of inspiration for Chloe, too.

“Especially with The Beaches, their show is just so much fun,” Chloe recalls. “They’re all jumping up and down and running around. I think they were even crowd-surfing. I might try and crowdsurf… who knows? I’ve learnt to just have fun and connect with the audience.”

Her music is increasingly written with the crowds in mind. The huge choruses of tracks like ‘Price On Fun’ truly lend themselves to being passionately sung as part of a crowd of similarly-minded people – Chloe has become more and more adept at crafting an infectious but incredibly relevant hook.

“When I’m writing, I always think about how I want a song to be massive in a live setting,” says Chloe. “I love the big choruses and instrumentals. That’s my aim with everything I release, just to be a bigger version of what it was before.”

Her latest single, ‘Tiny Screens’, is exactly that. A formidable look at internet fame with smirking references to “Marilyn Monroe with Turkey teeth”, it’s bold and sardonic, the guitars wilder and more irate than any of her previous releases. It’s a thrilling taste of what’s to come, perfectly at home in a riotous festival set.

Chloe’s origins couldn’t be further from the packed-in crowd of a tent in a field, though, where the masses start to merge together. Moving from Bournemouth to Manchester a few years ago was a major catalyst for Chloe’s foray into music properly, as she crucially found like-minded music lovers and threw herself into the gig-going culture of the city. Even more vital was her experience in Manchester’s open-mic scene.

“It’s been so important,” Chloe explains. “I had never really sang my songs in front of anyone ever, before I moved. Everyone is so welcoming and just sits and watches each other, and you make friends there. It’s a really nice way to build up your confidence in performing in front of people. Performing in those small rooms where everyone is looking straight at you is more scary than playing a gig. I went back and did an open mic a couple of months ago after doing the Kings of Leon show, and found it more scary. Everyone is so focused on you; you can see everyone and look in their eyes. It is almost awkwardly intimate, but I think that’s really good for building my confidence live”.

I am finishing with an interview from DIY. They spoke with her in January. Heralding an artist who is whip-smart and creating these Indie earworms. Marking herself as someone to watch very closely. I do hope that people connect with Chloe Slater’s music. Go and see her live if you can:

“Describe your music to us in the form of a dating app bio.

Feminine, loud, outspoken and always fun on a night out… but might cause an argument with your parents x

What’s your earliest musical memory?

It’s definitely my mum singing, we’ve been singing together my whole life - I think the earliest memories are of us listening to Beyoncé, Rihanna and Katy Perry.

You’re based in Manchester, which obviously has a very rich musical history. What do you think of the city’s scene at the moment? Are there any other artists breaking through at the moment you take inspiration from?
There are loads of really cool acts in Manchester at the moment! I think a lot of people get stuck on the heroes from the ‘90s but there’s loads of cool new stuff: you should listen to my friends, vincent’s last summer, if you haven’t already - they’re the best.

You’re set to embark on your debut headline tour this Spring - congrats! What are you most looking forward to about being on the road? Where are you most excited to play (and why)?

I’m most excited for the Bristol show because it’s my birthday - best party ever! I’m also excited for Sheffield and Brighton because we’ve never played there before :) I think the whole tour is just gonna be the best time ever though.

From anti-capitalism to feminism, your music excels at exploring political topics in the age of internet culture. Why do you think it’s struck such a chord with fans, both online and in person?

I think a lot of people go to music for escapism, which is so important and also something I do, but sometimes that leaves a gap for truly cathartic music that expresses the things that make you angry, or things that impact normal people in their everyday lives. So I think it’s nice that I can make music for people like me, and that we can all connect over the way we feel and our desire to make some change in the world”.

I will leave things there. This is just the beginning for Chloe Slater. You can tell she is someone who has something very special. Music that people need to hear. It won’t be too long until she is commanding massive stages around the world. Although she is a rising artist embarking on her first steps, Chloe Slater is going to be a worldwide name…