Spotlight On... Slim Wrist

Edinburgh duo Slim Wrist (fka Super Inuit) are set to release their long-awaited debut album, Closer for Comforting, this Friday 9 September. On it, the pairing of Brian Pokora and Fern Morris have created a wholly enticing record full of glitchy beats and abstract lyricism, all wrapped up in delightfully spacious compositions, giving each song the room they need to breathe and be felt.

Ahead of the album's release this week, we're delighted to bring you a first listen to the album below (click here if it's not displaying properly), and we catch up with Pokora and Morris to find out more about the name change, the album and what's next for the duo.

In November 2021 you released your first single, Lomond, under the new name Slim Wrist. The first thing we want to know is what provoked the name change?

Super Inuit was my Twitter handle, named after the Holy Fuck song, and when I needed a band name ASAP when playing solo that was what I became known as. While it was just me, with occasional collaborators, that worked, but once it became a more permanent duo with Fern, changing the name was always something we toyed with and intended to do but one thing or another always got in the way and we never quite worked it out. With our debut album coming out it was now or never, so we finally took the plunge. [Brian Pokora]

Shortly after you released Lomond you released Shone. Interestingly, both of these singles don’t appear on your debut album – how come?

Some of our earlier songs, including Lomond and Shone, were a bit darker compared to Closer for Comforting, which definitely has a brighter sound. So while they’re favourites and songs which we have quite a personal connection to, they didn’t quite work on the album. But we didn’t want to lose them to history and wanted them to have their moment, so decided to have them as a bridge to the album after a bit of a break. [BP and Fern Morris]

Moving onto the album – out this Friday – it feels like a lot of thought and work has gone into the record. Upon listening, it’s very noticeable how important space was for you – both from a production point of view as well as from a lyrical one. Was this a conscious decision? If yes, why was it so important to you both?

The album is a bit of a 'calm after the storm' reflection, both musically and lyrically, so that sense of space was something which instinctively came through in the writing process for us both. We really wanted to get that balance between that direct, poppy sound, and also having that sense of space and room to breathe. We’ve been writing together now for quite a few years and it’s nice to see the progression from our earlier music; the same thread is there running throughout but with Closer for Comforting it definitely feels more fully formed. [BP and FM]

What is the process like for the two of you when you’re writing music together? What comes first, the music or the lyrics? Or is it a very organic and collaborative process from the off?

When we first started working together we had fairly defined roles – Brian would start with a musical idea and if I liked it then I’d write the vocal parts and lyrics and then we’d add to it and work out a structure together. Over time it’s developed into something much more organic, with both of us developing musical ideas and then working and developing them together. So it’s a much more collaborative affair. [FM]

I find a lot of the lyrics across all of your music quite abstract, which I really like. Can you tell us a bit about some of the themes covered on the record?

I’m not a ‘wear my heart on my sleeve’ kind of person so the idea of being literal about what I’m singing about would be a bit alien and so I’ve always been drawn to using more abstract notions to write about quite personal things. The relationship between concern and control is the main thread running through the album, hence the play on words title – Closer for Comforting. It’s a lyric from Threads, which is a disproportionately fun, wry song about that dynamic. Those things can look quite similar when you’re in the middle of a situation and not able to lift your head and see things in perspective, so that sense of reflection and space again was instinctive throughout. [FM]

Finally, the album is out on Friday and you’ve got your album launch in Edinburgh on Saturday at the Safari Lounge. After the album’s out, what’s next for Slim Wrist?

It’s been a long time in the making and we’re so excited for people to finally hear the album, and we’re so excited for our launch. Tupper Werewolf is playing with us, which is amazing. We’ve been working on getting the album ready for so long so it’ll be great to be able to have more time to work on new music and do some shows. [BP]

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Closer for Comforting is released on 9 Sep; Slim Wrist launch their album at Safari Lounge, Edinburgh, 10 Sep – get tickets here

slimwrist.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/slim_wrist