Sloan Brothers is going to write you a love song or literally die trying in his new single Breathing Distress Blues (DOA PDA) — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The latest release from Athens, GA indie-rocker R. Sloan Simpson, this punchy, crunchy little retro-rock nugget finds the multi-talented multi-tasker capably and confidently occupying the middle spot on a Venn diagram, encircled by vibrantly coloured swaths of power-pop, indie-rock and new wave. Despite this, as the guitars crisply chug like a ticking clock, the drums and bass thud rat-a-tat like an urgent knock at the door, and the synthesizers howl like ambulance sirens, it’s all too clear Simpson is not in his happy place — the reedy vocalist is struggling for breath in a motel room and unwisely opting to write a song instead of calling for help:
“If I die in this motel room I’ve loved you
Collect my rapidly fading thoughts and write ’em down as I’m turning blue
I’ll leave this DOA PDA for the coroner:
‘Instead of calling 911, he wrote a song for her’
I’m down to the last few minutes, I’m dyin’ just thinking of you
I can’t get a breath with pneumonia and asthma too
My friends don’t know where I am or what I’ve been goin’ through
Or that I died tryin’ to write the last song I’ll never sing to you.”
Spoiler alert: He survived. After all, his story is a long way from over. While Simpson has been recording music for over two decades, none of it was his own until recently. Here’s the deal: The Georgia musician played rock and jazz guitar growing up, but was frustrated by the hit his talents took when a car accident sidelined him. So he sold all of his guitars and quit playing.
With music still in his blood, if not in his grasp, Simpson became a dedicated live taper, documenting the scene in Atlanta, eventually relocating to Athens after years spent driving back and forth to tape gigs at place like The Caledonia Lounge. “I had a permanent recording setup installed,” Simpson says. Sadly, the club closed in 2020, sidelining him again. But the end of the Caledonia led to a new beginning for Simpson.
He finally resumed making his own music with the 2022 album System Update, recording under the name Sloan Brothers. Though he says that he “was listening to mainly The Cure” while recording, the album’s opening tracks feel like Daft Punk invited Herbie Hancock to form a trio and jam with The Grateful Dead in their freak flag-flying heyday.
Since then, he has released a handful of singles and the Culture Bleed EP. Breathing Distress Blues (DOA PDA) was recorded at Barber St., with Simpson playing everything except lead guitar, which was recorded by Kevin Sweeney at the magnificently named Black Arc Oakansas. Simpson mixed the single, which was mastered by Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media.
Check out Breathing Distress Blues (DOA PDA) above, hear more from Sloan Brothers below, and catch up with Sloan Simpson on his website, Instagram and Facebook.
