SLOWCOACHING
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Words: Keeley Thompson
Images: Aneta Urbonaite
It’s 6pm and the sun has all but set. Only a few flecks of orange still stain the horizon, like an overripe mango splattered across the footpath.
Time, despite its fixed, linear nature, feels like the only thing capable of defying its own laws. For something so finite, it’s strange that it’s often the first thing to be wished away. Mostly though, there’s not enough of it.
I often find myself called back to the past, especially to my 18 year-old self. It’s hard to look back without wincing, though I know this is likely a universal feeling. My first date led to my first love, and my first dose of true heartbreak, which then led to one of the lowest points of my life. Everything shattered into a million tiny pieces of incredible beauty and immense brutality, and forced me to make something from it - and I did.
It feels almost impossible to adequately articulate all the angst, romance, joy and tenderness of this time, or so I thought.
Enter, Slowcoaching.
Capturing the pendulous emotions of past selves with softness and sympathy, Slowcoaching is an ode to the space between spaces. The Naarm (Melbourne) based musical project of Dean Valentino, their music is a thick blanket on a cold dawn.
KEELEY: Tell us a bit about yourself and how Slowcoaching began?
DEAN: Slowcoaching began as a bit of a side project to channel a lot of the music I was really getting into at the time (The Smiths, New Order, Wild Nothing) and as a bit of a challenge to write music on my own. The live band formed quite quickly so we were lucky enough to play shows right away and support some really great acts like Haley Heynderickx, Spacey Jane, Tia Gostelow and more.
It’s definitely become a bit of a stop start project over the years and drifted between collaborative and self-contained, but it is always there, ready to go.
KEELEY: What was the inspiration and motivation going into your album, “I’m In My Brain Again”?
DEAN: The album is very much inspired by restless nights staying up late, flicking through family photo albums, watching old VHS tapes and generally just exploring what my brain does at 3 o'clock in the morning. I think this record is me forcing myself to lean into a world that is a little more challenging, but still finding beauty in family, memories and the mundane things that can sometimes be comforting during bouts of mood swings / loneliness.
I always envisioned it existing in the world that you experience right before you fall asleep - questioning what is real, allowing memories to feel like they’re replaying and trying to make peace with your own racing thoughts.
KEELEY: What’s your favourite track from the album, and what’s your favourite track to play (if they’re different)?
DEAN: ‘It Was Nice Meeting You’ was sort of the track that kicked off the whole sound, so I do have quite a soft spot for that song but I equally love the title-track, just because of how abruptly it ends the record. The album is about discovery, not resolution so I love that it ends without really solving anything. Is that healthy? I don’t know.From a live perspective, we haven’t played a heap of these songs as a band just yet but ‘My Friends, The Insomniacs’ is always one that feels really beautiful with the full lineup.
KEELEY: What’s next for you? Anything on the horizon we should know about?
DEAN: I have a lot of new music waiting to be written, but I work slowly so not sure when that will come out. But hopefully much quicker than normal. We are also really itching to do full band shows soon & go on tour - so hopefully in the second half of the year you will see us on the road!
TRACK BY TRACK
Younger
‘Younger’ centres around the guilt I often feel for not having “worked hard enough” and feeling like running yourself into the ground is the ultimate trait of a hard worker. It’s about not wanting to disappoint the generations before me who have busted their asses to get me where I am and feeling like I can only repay that by doing the same. The song actually starts with echoes of my Nonno teaching me & my cousin how to cheat at a card game, which I think takes the drama out of this song a little bit and really puts family at the centre, from the start.
Toothache
This song is sort of about not paying attention as life passes you by. It’s a pretty open-to-interpretation track, even for myself at times, but centres around mundanity, dissatisfaction and repetition. I guess when deep down you know you want something more, but don’t bother to find it. My frustrating time in between different jobs must have found its way to the surface with this one.
It Was Nice Meeting You
Dealing with bouts of dissociation and social anxiety and struggling to decide whether you want to get some help with it or just embrace feelings of isolation. There are often times where I feel like I’m watching myself function with other people and don’t really remember places I’ve been or things I’ve done or people I've interacted with. It’s a weird feeling that sometimes means you can’t always appreciate things in the moment.
I stayed up until 6AM trying to finish this song and then ended up deleting the ending, slowing the song down and playing a bassline over the top of some mumbled words… took about 15 minutes, so I guess staying up til 6 wasn’t so worth it. It is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written.
Freakout
This is about the first time I had sleep paralysis when I was in Florence with my partner. We were staying in a beautiful loft behind a Synagogue and had been out til pretty late.
It was a pretty wild experience and something that still happens to me often. Basically your body is asleep but your mind isn’t quite there yet - so although you can still experience thoughts in real time and see a version of your surroundings, you can’t move a muscle. It’s often accompanied by a really lovely feeling of a figure lurking over you or pushing into your chest.
We Live Together
I dream so frequently and vividly about my childhood home. I think I left a lot of thoughts and memories behind when it was knocked down and my mind often pushes me to go back there. It’s a simple, quiet song about all the little nuances and cracks in the house that I remember so well. Having a lot of family footage and photo albums has always helped to keep those memories alive, which is something I’m really appreciative of.
Mirrors
This is about cleaning out someone’s house who has passed away - specifically my Great Grandma’s house which was old, but loved & the time we spent there together after she passed. I love how a little bit of them has rubbed off on my grandparents, then parents, now us - keeping that memory alive in more ways than one.
There is also a little nod to the clouds that parted the skies when we buried our dear friend, Guy - a way to try and find nostalgia and beauty in heartbreaking situations.
Woods
Losing hope that you’re going to find the right path for yourself and feeling like you’re constantly in a rut. At times feeling too timid to take on the bigger battles and becoming jealous of the people who do. I grew out of this song lyrically for a while, but found myself falling back into some of those feelings - so I found it important to acknowledge and complete.
My Friends, The Insomniacs
This is about being a soundboard for your friends, especially ones who might be a little vulnerable or hesitant to open up. It’s something I really struggle to do, so I’ve naturally learned to try to be there for others. It’s about acknowledging that no feeling is insignificant and that talking about grief, death, loss, fear of growing old, being alone etc is ok.
Sometimes we don’t treat ourselves so well, so it really matters when somebody else does. I think especially in male friendships groups, there is reluctance to open up to others and I kind of wrote this for some friends who were going through a lot at the time.
I’m In My Brain Again
Doing bags of mushrooms in lockdown and losing all sense of time and attachment but also feeling more at ease than ever before. I remember watching Planet Earth and Barbarella on repeat and just being in awe of what I was experiencing. That period was really strange and I spent a lot of time tapping into areas of my brain that always excited me, watching lots of films, listening to lots of old music and just trying to let go of my ego. I think this was a huge turning point for me and it honestly changed my personality and attitude… in some good ways and some bad ways. It’s a really simple song but like Freakout & It Was Nice Meeting You, transports me to a time that I really started to change as a songwriter.
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