The Catharsis of Change, Collaboration, and Fun with Haley Shea of Sløtface
Sløtface by Leah Solomons
Sløtface has always been a band in motion, known for their high-energy live shows, sharp-witted lyrics, and a fierce punk spirit. Before their gig at Bristol’s Exchange, I caught up with frontwoman Haley Shea in the venue’s cozy front bar. Over cups of tea, the anticipation of the night ahead buzzing quietly in the background, it becomes clear that Sløtface’s evolution has been more than just musical—it’s been deeply personal.
“We call it ‘Sløtface 2.0,’” Shea laughs. Even sleep-deprived from a non-stop tour, her eyes are bright with the energy of someone who’s found her stride again. “It’s a completely new phase for us, with new members and a totally different way of working.” The departure of the band’s original members during the pandemic was a pivotal moment, forcing Shea to reconsider the future of Sløtface. For a while, she wasn’t even sure if the band would continue. "There was a moment where I wasn’t sure whether I’d keep making music as Sløtface or maybe start something completely new," she admits.
Fortunately, that uncertainty transformed into something empowering. The band’s 2023 EP Awake/Asleep was a crucial stepping stone, allowing Shea and her new collaborators to experiment with a fresh creative process. "That EP helped us figure out how we wanted to move forward," she reflects. It marked the first real exploration of Sløtface’s new dynamic, setting the stage for their latest full-length album.
A major part of this evolution has been the band’s approach to collaboration. Shea speaks with genuine admiration for Preben Sælid Andersen, the album’s producer and a key songwriting partner. "Preben’s been a massive part of this record—not just as the producer but as a co-writer. It was a real partnership." This collaboration allowed the band to work in a way that felt less rushed and more specialised, allowing each member to contribute in ways that felt natural and authentic to them. “Before, we’d go into the studio for two weeks and try to get everything done. We have two weeks—go, go, go!’ But now, we’ve had the luxury of letting people take their time and focus on what they’re good at. Preben’s been fantastic at encouraging us to explore that,” she says.
This more relaxed, flexible approach allowed the band members to bring their best to the table. "It was a much more enjoyable process, with less anxiety. Everyone got to work in their own lane," she adds. This sense of creative freedom was a marked change, and it’s clear that this shift has had a positive impact on the music itself.
Shea herself embraced a new role as the project’s "captain." Describing herself as the one overseeing the big picture, she coordinated the various creative elements, ensuring that the band’s new sound remained cohesive. “I’ve always written the lyrics for Sløtface, so the themes were something I was always excited about,” she says. “But this time, I really got to step back and think about how the songs would flow together, which is something I love doing.”
Sløtface’s evolution wasn’t just about adjusting to new members or shifting their recording process—it was also about discovering new ways to approach storytelling.
With Film Buff, the band embraced a narrative-driven focus, though Shea admits it’s often hard to tell where her personal experiences end and her fictional narratives begin. “I’d always start writing a song thinking it was completely fictional,” she says, “but then halfway through, I’d realise that actually, it’s deeply personal. It’s like I had to trick myself into accessing parts of my own story.”
One of the album’s standout tracks, Final Gørl, is a prime example of this blend of fiction and personal reflection. Inspired by the classic horror trope of the "final girl"—the last woman standing in a slasher film—Shea says the song stemmed from earlier themes she explored on Awake/Asleep. “That Thelma and Louise-inspired vibe really stuck with me,” she explains. “I loved writing these larger-than-life characters, but by the end, it always circled back to me in some way.”
This method of using tropes as a way to explore personal feelings became a key part of the album's creative process. “I was on Tropes.com all the time, looking up classic character types and letting them lead the way,” she laughs. It was a playful way for Shea to distance herself from her emotions initially, only to find that the songs always brought her back to something deeply personal.
At the heart of the new album is the desire to create a sense of escapism for the listener, much like a great film allows its audience to check out of reality for a little while. But Shea is quick to note that the title of the album, Film Buff, is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
“I love movies, but I don’t have highbrow taste,” she says, smiling. “I thought it’d be funny to call the album Film Buff, like a joke at the expense of all those serious film bros. This isn’t some art-house record—it’s inspired by trashy 90s rom-coms and horror films like Saw.”
That sense of escape is something Shea hopes listeners will experience when they hear the album. “The goal was to make something that feels like a little break from reality. You know, like when you watch a good movie and for an hour and a half, you’re in this different world. That’s what I wanted for this record. Fun, a bit silly, but with heart.”
But if there’s one thing that truly defines this new era of Sløtface, it’s the emphasis on fun. After the introspective tone of Awake/Asleep, the band wanted to make something that felt lighter, more suited to live performances, and full of energy. "We wanted to make a fun record—something that would be exciting to play live and let us really engage with the audience again," Shea says, reflecting on the band’s return to the stage after the pandemic.
“We were coming out of the pandemic, and I think we all needed to make something that would be fun to play live,” she says. “That was a huge part of it. We were back on stage, feeling the energy of the crowd, and it made us realize we wanted something that matched that vibe. Halfway through the writing process, we just said, ‘Screw it, let’s scrap any songs that aren’t fun enough,’ and started leaning into the lighter, more upbeat stuff.” It’s a shift that Shea seems fully at ease with, and it’s clear that this decision was as much for the band as it was for their audience.
For Shea, this shift wasn’t just about making music for the audience, but also for herself. “I grew up thinking that being in a band meant playing super intense, heavy music where everyone’s throwing elbows in the pit,” she reflects. “But the older I get, the more I realise I don’t really want that. I want people to come to our shows and have fun, to feel like they can let loose without getting hurt. The band’s live performances have reflected this new direction, with songs like Lift Heavy becoming crowd favourites. "We’ve been doing this extended dance outro at the end of that track, and it just gets everyone moving. It’s more about communal fun than aggressive mosh pits," she says. “We’ve been made fun of for being a bit of a ‘polite punk band,’” she laughs, “but honestly, I’m okay with that. It’s who we are.”
In this new era of Sløtface, Haley Shea is embracing the freedom to evolve, to collaborate, and, most importantly, to find joy in the process. Whether it’s through playful lyrics, energetic live shows, or the catharsis of making music that simply feels good, Shea and Sløtface are proving that sometimes, the best art comes when you’re having fun. And for Haley Shea, that’s exactly where the band—and she herself—needs to be.
Film Buff from Sløtface is out now via Propeller Recordings and available on all good streaming platforms.
