Slowly Slowly have never been afraid to get personal, but with Forgiving Spree, they take it to a whole new level with a nostalgic yet mature album.
Release date: January 25, 2025 | Nettwerk Music Group | Facebook | Instagram | Stream/Purchase
‘Got to see about a girl.’ This quote from Good Will Hunting captures the movie’s central theme—fear of change and how love can make it all worth it. Love is never without its challenges, but to truly make room for change, you have to forgive your past to embrace your future. These themes are woven throughout Forgiving Spree, the new album by Slowly Slowly, which dropped on January 24, 2025.
The album hits hard from the start with its opening title track, “Forgiving Spree”. A pop-rock anthem with UK influences, it’s reminiscent of Go:Audio, a forgotten gem from 2009—full of angst and great guitar work. The lyrics reflect on bad luck, with imagery of walking under ladders and breaking mirrors. Instead of blaming fate, the song embraces misfortune, turning it into acceptance.
“How Are You Mine”, the album’s third track, shifts focus to love—the album’s second major theme. Frontman Ben Stewart screams from the rooftops about a girl he compares to alkaline, scientifically tied to the body’s water—something he can’t live without.
The album explores the human condition in raw, relatable ways. Songs like “That’s That” have the infectious, catchy breakup energy of The 1975, while “Cross My Heart” by Marianas Trench echoes that fun, guitar-driven sound. The album transported me back to my youth, capturing the sound I loved, but with more mature and adult themes.
Topics like marriage, miscarriage, and denial make their way into the album’s lyrics. I’m no longer walking the halls of my high school talking about puppy love. Instead, I’m in the hurricane of adulthood, and this album grips at my younger self while keeping me engaged with its deeper subject matter—running out of time and coming to terms with it.
The album concludes with “Born Free”, a hauntingly poetic track. Lyrics like ‘I made friends with my boredom, but it just won’t love me back’ capture a sense of struggle, while ‘Outgrew the cancers of worry, she cut them out every time, just in time’ provide a moment of cathartic acceptance.
Forgiving Spree is a fun, emotional, and deeply relatable listen—an album that bridges nostalgia with the realities of adulthood. Slowly Slowly have crafted something special, making peace with the past while forging ahead into the future.
