Emerging out of Brighton’s vibrant scene, Slung sit at the crossroads of grunge grit, alt-country americana, and arena rock muscle. With a haunting heaviness and bold swagger, their debut record In Ways was one of our favourite debut albums of 2025.

Bassist Vlad Matveikov called on friends and collaborators to help with song ideas, and the lineup solidified with Ali Johnson on guitar, Ravi Martin on drums, and Katie Oldham on lead vocals. Their first single Neurotic dropped in September 2024, thick and swampy , and their debut album In Ways followed in May 2025, expanding their sound with a fusion of grunge, alt-country, and massive dusty rock with fuzzed-up riffs and sly, swaggering vocals.

In Ways is a deeply confident debut, and live you get the sense that this is a group who are born to be on stage, with unmistakable chemistry as they jam and take risks with ripping guitar solos and a soaring vocal delivery. Slung are a thoroughly great band both on record and on stage, so we had to find out more:

Hi guys! Can we have your history of how you came together?

What was the initial ambition behind Slung?

You guys have a really interesting cocktail of influences, bouncing from the tender and vulnerable to the crushingly loud. Was this variation an intentional aim, or just a natural emergence of your tastes?

How has the reception been to In Ways so far?

Can you unpack some of the themes on the album?

Can you talk about Brighton’s music scene as it currently stands, and any venues that are particularly special to you guys?

If you could tour with anyone, who would it be and why?

Have you had any favourite gigs so far?

What’s on the horizon for the band?

What is the ultimate goal of Slung?