Sly WithersThe first time this writer saw Sly Withers live, they were opening for Amy Shark on her regional tour in 2019. Baby-faced and a little awkward with a makeshift set up, I knew I was witnessing the early stages of a band with incredible potential.
Fast forward seven years, and they’ve just released their fourth studio album, To Be Honest – a heartfelt record that proves I was right seven years ago.
The day before album release, The Music sat down with co-lead vocalists and guitarists Jono Mata and Sam Blitvitch to catch up on the last four years between album releases and discuss To Be Honest in depth.
As soon as you give this one a spin, you’ll hear the vast difference compared to earlier records – it’s still got the essence of Sly Withers, but everything else has been stepped up a notch.
“It’s definitely what we were shooting for,” Mata says, “That’s why getting someone like Stevie Knight on board to produce it was a pretty obvious choice and we’ve been really excited to work with him for ages.”
Since their last release in 2022, drummer Joel Neubecker has stepped back, with Fraser Cringle taking his place and shaking up the band’s dynamic in a positive way.
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“Fraser coming on board has informed how this record is different in so many ways.” Blitvich shares. “He’s got a different approach to writing than what we’ve ever experienced before, particularly with a drummer. Everything’s just gotten a lot more collaborative.”
Their 2021 record Gardens made a huge impact within the Australian Indie Rock scene, debuting at number 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart and putting them on the map for a lot of casual listeners.
Their approach to this album was incredibly laid-back, and they spoke openly in interviews about how they didn’t necessarily feel like there was a beginning or an end to the creative process – they were constantly writing.
Comparing that experience to To Be Honest, Mata says, “There were so many songs we had in various stages of the pipeline when we did get to recording this – I think that’s what Sly is, Sam and I are usually the ones starting the songs and the ideas come from anywhere, whenever.
“Some of the songs on this record were written within a couple of weeks before we went into the studio and some where written a few years before we went into it. So yeah. It’s a tricky process to put a timeline on."
“The different eras get self-imposed by whoever’s producing the recording when it comes time to record it.” Blitvich adds. “I think part of this industry that makes it a challenge is the needs to be consistently writing and never really taking a break… there is a constant pressure to always be doing stuff and I think that leads to us never really stopping writing.
“But yeah, each era is defined by us recording batches here and there with different people, and then wherever we’re at mentally with our aspirations for how we want it to sound.”
With consistent writing over years, it’s no surprise that they were left with an abundance of tracks to choose from, but not everything is always going to stick. There was a particular feeling and sound that they were chasing for this record, one that’s hard to describe but evident when listening front to back.
“We tried to give everything a good crack in the whole pre-production and writing process, and demoed multiple versions of everything,” Mata says. They then went purely on vibes for selecting the track list, picking the ones that just felt right, before filling up gaps with more specific tracks as the production process developed.
One of those tracks was the album’s closer, TBH. They found themselves needing a solid way to wrap up the record, and it came together in a glorious lightbulb moment.
“That one was really only created in its current form on the last day of recording guitars and vocals,” Blitvich shares. “That last track, TBH, ended up being two other songs- one that I had written, and one that Jono had written, that our producer Stevie mashed together to make this really cool, fun, all-over-the-place track.
“It ended up being a bit of both of us talking individually about how it’s really hard to be in a band sometimes, but in two separate songs.”
Mata adds, “TBH stands out and really exemplifies the whole process of working with Stevie. It was just really cool to be on the last day of the whole process – it was just me, Sam and Stevie there. We had to make these on the fly decisions and we finally just landed on something we were all excited about.
“We were really lucky that we were writing it to be a closer because we didn’t have the pressure of thinking about it as a single or it being radio-friendly. We could just follow exactly where the song wanted to go."
This natural flow runs through the record, but there’s also intention behind every track, whether it’s a deeply personal story, a particular emotion being conveyed, or just a fun song.
When it comes to the experience they hope listeners have with the record, Blitvich shares, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It all means specific things to us, but the beauty of songwriting is anyone can apply their own lived experience to any song and make it about them.”
For listeners and fans, this record has been about four years coming. For Sly Withers, it’s something that’s sort of always been there whether in their minds, on paper, or on a hard drive somewhere, just waiting for the right moment to be set free.
Well, that moment is now, with To Be Honest already getting plenty of well-deserved love since its release last Friday.
There’s loads of heart and soul in this record- from the mood-setting opener Brake Lights to the upbeat bangers like Make My Mind Up and the anthemic closer TBH, this album really does have a bit of everything, but most of all, it’s Sly Withers through and through, at their very best.
Sly Withers’ To Be Honest is out now.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
