Slowly Slowly

In 2015, Slowly Slowly broke through in the Australian indie-rock community with their signature blend of uptempo riffs and downtrodden lyrics about dysfunctional families, the perilous quest to find love, and the futility of existence. The roots of the Melbourne group date back to the early 2010s, when vocalist Ben Stewart met bassist Alex Quayle in high school. Eventually, they linked up with guitarist Albert Doan and drummer Patrick Murphy to form Slowly Slowly. They released their first single, the swaggering “Empty Lungs,” in 2015, and after a series of songs showcasing their range—they could traffic in pop-punk as easily as ballads—they put out their debut album, Chamomile, a year later. Their 2019 cover of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love,” which transformed the strummy single into an arena-ready shout-along, garnered national attention. Soon after, the band’s own track “Jellyfish” won international interest and a place on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100.