Bringing to mind tangled limbs and adolescent kisses with wine-stained lips, Slow Magic unveils an absolute masterpiece with ‘How to Run Away’, an conceptual gem full of nostalgic ambiance and intelligently polished production. Each song is meant to leave you trembling, making it the perfect soundtrack to those exceptional summer nights, reminiscent of naive love and furiously ignited journeys of self discovery.
With ‘How to Run Away,’ Slow Magic crafts an immersing and dream-like world to lose yourself in completely. A tinkling piano brings the first track, ‘Still Life’ into your speakers while jazzy elements keep a delicate air, all while the song rises in momentum. Crescendoing just before the first minute mark into a beautiful explosion of clashing cymbals and zany synths, ‘Still Life’ served as the perfect start to the meticulous album I was about to indulge.
Upbeat vocals give the second track an instant dance feel; ‘Girls’ immediately takes hold of your ear buds and sweeps you into a daydream, with the tempo slowing just enough to resemble an island jam. Listening to ‘Girls’ brings to mind a runaway to a forgotten beach, with sunlight dripping into lazily closed eyelids. Slow Magic’s drumming is tight, steady and rounded with bright and layered synths that put you into an euphonious haze.
My favorite from ‘How to Run Away’ also happens to be the first single that was released from the full-length, the very first taste of Slow Magic that I’d ever been exposed to. ‘Hold Still’ is an ethereal and vibrant beauty – it is absolutely hypnotic. Like a seductive strip tease, ‘Hold Still’ patiently draws out its peak, coaxing the hairs along your neck into shudders. ‘Hold Still’ is one of the most sensuous pieces of music I’ve ever heard, and undoubtedly of this year alone.
When speaking of this album as a whole, it was nearly impossible to stop listening once I’d started. There was no such thing as skipping forward to another track; each song flowed into the next fluidly, using alternate tones to create an overall atmospheric sense of maturity and ultimate growth. At ten tracks long, How to Run Away is the embodiment of a Summer time love; it’s the perfect length to lose yourself within, yet leaves you with an meaningful impression you won’t soon forget. It’s safe to say that How to Run Away is my favorite album of the year – upon first listen I was hooked, and I’ve since turned all of my friends onto Slow Magic as well. This brilliant album is available worldwide through iTunes on September 9 through Downtown Records; if there is one album you make the move to purchase, let How To Run Away be the one you choose.
I highly suggest catching Slow Magic live if he happens to roll through your neck of the woods. I’ll be patiently waiting with the rest of Denver until October 10th at The Bluebird, but check the list of tour dates below to see when he’ll be closest to you!
| September 6, 2014 | Kalamazoo, WI | District Square | |
| September 11, 2014 | San Francisco, CA | The Independent | |
| September 12, 2014 | Los Angeles, CA | Roxy Theatre | |
| September 13, 2014 | San Diego, CA | Soda Bar | |
| September 14, 2014 | Phoenix, AZ | The Crescent Ballroom | |
| September 16, 2014 | Dallas, TX | Three Links | |
| September 17, 2014 | Austin, TX | Holy Mountain | |
| September 18, 2014 | Houston, TX | Fitzgerald’s Downstairs | |
| September 19, 2014 | Baton Rouge, LA | Spanish Moon | |
| September 20, 2014 | Atlanta, GA | The Basement | |
| September 21, 2014 | Raleigh, NC | Kings Barcade | |
| September 23, 2014 | Washington, DC | DC9 | |
| September 24, 2014 | Philadelphia, PA | Boot & Saddle | |
| September 25, 2014 | New York, NY | Santos Party House | |
| September 26, 2014 | Cambridge, MA | Sinclair | |
| September 27, 2014 | Montreal, QC | Le Belmont | |
| September 28, 2014 | Toronto, ON | The Garrison | |
| October 1, 2014 | Ann Arbor, MI | Bling Pig | |
| October 2, 2014 | Columbus, OH | The Basement | |
| October 3, 2014 | Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall | |
| October 4, 2014 | Madison, WI | The Frequency | |
| October 5, 2014 | Minneapolis, MN | 7th Street Entry | |
| October 7, 2014 | Springfield, MO | College St. Bar and Arcade | |
| October 8, 2014 | Lawrence, KS | Bottleneck | |
| October 9, 2014 | Denver, CO | Bluebird Theater | |
| October 10, 2014 | Fort Collins, CO | Hodi’s Half Note | |
| October 11, 2014 | Salt Lake City, UT | Urban Lounge | |
| October 12, 2014 | Boise, ID | The Crux | |
| October 15, 2014 | Portland, OR | Holocene | |
| October 16, 2014 | Victoria, BC | Lucy Bar | |
| October 17, 2014 | Vancouver, BC | Celebrities |
