Drawing from the golden textures of Bill Withers, Minnie Riperton and ‘70s soul while sitting comfortably alongside modern R&B artists like Sault and Joy Crookes, Slowe’s second album In Moments is one of the most gentle and beautiful records of the year.

Sophie Hawes is a Bristol-based producer, singer and songwriter who writes and records under the name Slowe. Signed to Tru Thoughts, her 2023 debut Where The Mind Wanders introduced a lo-fi soul aesthetic with a meticulous ear, and her new album In Moments retains that same intimacy whilst expanding the sound with rich live instrumentation woven around her beautiful harmonies.

Sherwood is primarily built for loud, small, sweaty, sticky, shouty rooms, and Slowe is about as far in the other direction as you can get. She doesn’t perform live, and that gives In Moments the feel of a real hidden gem, sounding like it arrived from another era whilst still sitting comfortably alongside the rich, golden sound of the UK’s current soul scene.

We caught up with Slowe to find out more about the making of In Moments:

Hi Sophie, thanks for speaking with us today! Can you talk about your musical background prior to starting work as Slowe?

Is it fair to say you define yourself as a producer first and foremost rather than a singer-songwriter?

Tru Thoughts is a legendary label with an amazing history. How did they find you?

Let’s get nerdy. Are you particular about which DAW you use to achieve your sound, or do you think they’re all basically capable of producing the same results? Are there any production techniques or effects that are essential favourites of yours?

The instrumentation on In Moments is so rich. Can you talk about your collaborators, and which instruments did you play yourself?

Your process is quite different from that of a singer-songwriter sitting down with a guitar, playing chords and coming up with a melody. Can you take us through what the creation of a Slowe song from start to finish usually looks like?

Which time periods and styles do you consider your primary influences?

What do you hope people get from listening to In Moments?

Do you think the UK soul scene is in a strong place right now?

Who would perform at Slowe’s dream festival?