Ahead of this Friday’s release of their new album SLAGROOM (Danger Collective Records), Los Angeles trio tankerlow has shared their intense and dissonant new single “FORMULA BABY” alongside a P.J. Charles-directed video. The album’s enthralling sense of freedom and experimentation shines on “FORMULA BABY,” which was built around a hammered dulcimer loop played by the band’s Kyle Norvell. “The chugging train noise was [lyricist/vocalist] Guy [Azulay]’s voice pitched down super low and looped,” the band’s Connor Scheff–who engineered the album–explains of the post-punk-infused standout. “The screechy sound at the end of the song and part of the sub came from me accidentally leaving my monitors on when I armed his vocal track. The preamps’ gain was cranked, so it started feeding back, and I recorded it in.”

An exhilarating and harrowing uneasiness comes to life within tankerlow’s sophomore album (and label debut for Danger Collective Records). Waving away the post-hardcore-inspired sound of their first release, SLAGROOM instead ushers in an enigmatic, genre-defying blend of noise rock, industrial and dance, bolstered by Azulay’s bracing vocals. The ten tracks see the band unlocking new creative synergies and a more intentional chapter, resulting in their most personal and fully realized work to date.

Following their lyrically playful debut, Azulay notes that SLAGROOM was “a huge learning experience on songwriting” that ultimately helped him discover his voice. Across the LP, tankerlow explore–both lyrically and instrumentally–the concept of duality and the conflicts that arise from the battles of opposites: light vs. dark, right vs. wrong, reality vs. lies, quiet vs. loud. “The album’s concept manifested by looking at my own life, observing what battles were happening inside my head. A lot of my lyrics are based around insecurity and these false ideations of who I am as a person.” That mental war bleeds into SLAGROOM, making it feel like a journey towards an impending nervous breakdown: charged, engulfing, and relentless.

Built over two consistent and meticulous years in the studio, each song on the album is complex, full of purpose and reason. With Scheff engineering, they could take their time achieving fullness and bringing in new ideas. The studio was a collaborative space described by Norvell as “very low pressure and judgment-free. We could control every detail, rewrite and recut songs as they evolved.” 

Loud, brimming, and wild, SLAGROOM pushes all boundaries and brings the listeners on a journey that leaves them constantly on the edge of their seat. “Making this album brought out the best and worst of us. It was a bonding exercise and a learning curve above all else,” notes Azulay. “After months of trying whatever the hell we thought of, and arguing about what should or shouldn’t be ‘tankerlow,’ we found a sound to make our own. One motto stuck with us during the process that kept coming back again and again: How far are you willing to go?”