Vestiges of what once was surround us and permeate our consciousnesses. We wax poetic about the long gone places that we used to know, the people that are no longer with us that have imparted indelible impressions, to the trends and styles that have since set sail for the collective catalogs of nostalgia and the annals of time. Reminiscence is human, the events of the here and now arrive on the heels of a previous era that has slipped through our hands, like the sands found in an antiquated hour glass. Even with open minds and hearts it is only natural to reflect on the histories that have had an impact on us in various ways. The shops and clerks that were once a staple of our lives. The family members who have departed from the material realm. The throwback films that were formative to us during a different time. The books that ignited our infinite faculties of fascination, imagination and curiosity, to the sounds and formats that connect us to the worlds we never before knew existed.

All of these meditations and more can be found and felt throughout the new tape Gone Things from Birmingham, Alabama band Slack Times. The trio of Chris McCauley, Abby Anderson, and Stuart Norman channel the sensibilities and smarts of your favorite cult DIY jangle dreaming act of underrated import in a journey through the ephemeral scrapbooks conjured by the spirit and mind. Mixed by Les Nuby at Ol Elegante, mastered by Álvaro Lissón, featuring additional contributions from Seth Brown; Slacks Times’ evolution shows the power of sentimentality when applied to succinct, punchy guitar lead ballads of the utmost sincerity.

Gone Things mines the underground corridors of your favorite overlooked and under appreciated late 20th century idols. Slack Times takes part in the post-millennium exploration of how those beloved underdogs that shaped the influential independent industries have informed so many of today’s movements and mentalities. Throughout the four song jaunt of the EP, a mesmerizing echo permeates around the trio’s delivery that reverberates through the halls of the previous eras. Following up the power pop shine of Carried Away, Slack Times redesigns their sonic cadence by redefining their approach to emulating the icons and artistry of everything that stands in the crossroads of the before and after.

The title track steps into the pop portals that oscillates between time periods. Slack Times transfer their gilded guitar progressions into a mystic, expressive majesty that resembles those all but lost 45 pressings of outfits that fashioned their aesthetic after the Flaming Groovies' infamous Shake Some Action mod nouveau transformation. And then the band hits you with “Hatchback”, a song that is like a roundtrip in a boxy mid-80s frog shaped beater that you never want to end. And for all the talk of the band’s affinity for analogous tributes, this song stuns in how it genuinely sounds like nothing else. The percussion put-puts with a pep that blooms into a driving ball of highway dust that kicks up with an inexplicable sensory mist of treasured memory with the velocity of true hearted valiance.

"In the Way" beams with the brightest found in the current active roster at Slumberland Records and all the DIY daydream believers from the Bay Area scenes. Not even making the two minute mark, Slack Times rocks with a freewheeling romp of self-awareness and games of sport. Gone Things concludes with the slow swaying “Coattails” that rides through the new waves and no waves of the past with an indebted appreciation of all that has arrived before them. Standing on the shoulders of these immortalized giants, Slack Times pulls off the near impossible of making retro revivalism sound easy, instinctive, and new.

Stuart Norman from Slack Times delivered some meditations on the creative processes and evolutions of the band:

The biggest difference on the new EP is that we have a new three-piece lineup, so here’s some background: Slack Times began during lockdown as a songwriting and recording project between Chris McCauley, Will Stewart, and me (Stuart Norman). Chris and I have played music together since 2012, and he and Will were in a band called the Blips. The three of us wrote the first set of songs six feet apart on Chris’ back porch. Once the world opened up a bit, we cut the first record over three sessions at Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, MS. Bronson Tew, Matt Patton, and John Kveen filled on drums and bass. Chris wrote most of the songs, Will wrote a couple, and I wrote the instrumentals. We were listening to a lot of R.E.M., Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Yo La Tengo, and I think it shows on that first record.

In 2023, Will left the band to focus on his solo work, and Chris and I were interested in streamlining to a true three-piece to make it easier to book and play shows. We asked Abby Anderson to join on drums — we’d all played together in Holy Youth, and she and I played in Dommel Mosel. She played bass in both of those bands, so we were excited to finally be in a band with her behind the drums. As a drummer, she plays with a lot of finesse and knows when to let things breathe, but she also balances it with expressive fills and dynamic shifts. I switched to bass, and Chris played my 12-string Dano to preserve some of the jangle that was present on the first record. We got together on Sunday afternoons, and the songs came together quickly. Chris was on a big K Records kick at the time, I’m always going back and listening to old Flying Nun bands, and we all three dig the band Dick Diver.

We recorded Gone Things in one or two takes on one afternoon at Ol Elegante here in Birmingham. For this project, we wanted to work quickly, not overthink it, and just capture the energy of the songs. Our friend Seth Brown contributed keys, some background vocals, and some guitar. Les Nuby recorded and mixed, and Álvaro Lissón mastered. We aimed for a warm, lo-fi sound on the recording, and I think it’s going to sound great on cassette. We plan on playing a few shows around the South before getting back to work on some new material. We do make music for fun and as a creative outlet, and my only big hope is that some folks like us that dig bands like Beat Happening, The Aislers Sets, Galaxie 500, The Clean, The Bats, and Young Marble Giants can find something to like in these songs.

Slack Times’ Gone Things will be available on cassette and everywhere October 11 via Meritorio Records.