The Geelong four-piece are back with another full-throttle effort with their third release, ‘Mr Wilding’
Creating a memorable and unique brand of hard-edged rock with catchy pop-rock choruses, Geelong four-piece Slide My Way have been earning their stripes in the local music scene for the past few years, forming together at high school in 2019.
Like most acts before they get their big break, Slide My Way started playing rock covers before eventually growing their catalogue to include original material, kicking it off with their debut single ‘Whisper’ last year.
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Channelling the heart-on-your-sleeve, alt-rock energy of Foo Fighters, the upbeat nature of Blink-182 and Oasis’ easy-going melodicism, the band have just released their third single ‘Mr Wilding’, inspired by the years of fun and excitement the band members had in the music classes at St Joseph’s.
Oozing raw energy, limitless enthusiasm and effortless cool, ‘Mr Wilding’ lures you in right from the get-go, championed by thundering guitars, heavy percussion and thumping basslines, blending the songwriting talents of guitarist/vocalist Marius Hurley-Paul and lead guitarist/vocalist, Joseph Finnigan with the musical prowess of drummer Granger Woolley and bassist Jeremy Hurley-Paul.
“The main songwriters for Slide My Way are Marius and Joe. Marius brought his composition ideas of ‘Mr Wilding’ to Joe who topped it off with an awesome guitar solo,” the band explain of the song’s creation.
“Once it was brought to the band room with bass and drums it became a loud and raw rock number.”
Merging authentic rock with their indie-rock roots, the catchy track’s buzzing guitar riffs, electrifying rock solos’ and sing-along inducing “Bop bop bop bop yeah yeah” automatically lift you up and sweep you into a joyous bubble of rock.
It’s a near four-minute snapshot of what a simple, fundamentally good band Slide My Way are, with solos and hooks that you can picture all of Wembley stadium singing along to.
With its rollicking groove, a Gallagher-esque vocal delivery sits pretty at the forefront of the track with a memorable melody that you’ll have in your head long after the song is finished. The drumbeat carries and drives this song, and the various guitar solos feel appropriate; this type of rock song demands one. You’ll find your foot tapping before you even realise.
Boasting elements of Britpop and building on the band’s desire to play and record music that is authentically produced, this slinky earworm of a tune sees the band channelling a delectable combination of Oasis and Blink-182 – and we’re all about it.
Leaving an indelible sonic impression on the listener and a desire for more, the lyrics follow a uniquely zany high school teacher from the perspective of his students.
“Mr Wilding is a fictional character, a school music teacher created by Marius. He is a ‘wild thing’, an animated and exciting musician. The lyrics are about the excitement and mischief that goes on in his music classes.”
The song’s accompanying video, directed by Conor Killury, is an energetic and fun visual representation of the rebellious Mr Wilding and the explosive presence of the band themselves.
Recorded with Allan Kelly at Almach Studios, this track was recorded over a couple of weeks and sees the band strive for perfection, resulting in weeks of remastering with over 10 versions saved before they landed on the final product.
With a knack for pairing earworm melodies with chunky rock guitars, ‘Mr Wilding’ is the soundtrack to the summer we all crave and follows on from their previous release ‘Be Like Him’, released back in April this year. Boasting the band’s skills for instantly engaging melodies, this classic rock anthem is packed with irresistible pop-rock hooks, taking listeners on a warm, chilled-out sonic journey.
While their collection of singles couldn’t be more different, their eclectic music influences are clear with Oasis-esque vocals and melodies, blended with the likes of Blink 182, Nickelback, AC/DC and The Beatles, bringing an overall diverse bag of sounds.
With a collection of influences like that, three well-received singles, and having just played their first gig in six months to a solid crowd at Geelong’s Barwon Club, we’re pretty keen to see what else these guys can do.
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