Freak Slug lifts lid on her long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Amulet’
Manchester-based artist Freak Slug has returned to the scene with the announcement of her second album, Amulet, heralded by the release of the album’s lead single, ‘Girl, Intentions’.
Freak Slug is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Xenya Genovese, under which she has made music as far back as 2015, which was eventually welcomed into the world through official EPs like 2022’s I’m In Love and 2023’s Viva la Vulva.
Amulet follows up her 2024 debut album, I Blow Out Big Candles, released by Future Classic.
“This first single off my upcoming album Amulet explores the inner turmoil of a woman, with the feminine often represented by the moon as darkness,” Genovese explains of the newly released track.
She added, “It’s an ode to myself – feeling the presence and power of one’s soul, dark and light, and seeing in yourself what nobody else can see until you show them what you’re capable of.”
The brooding, grunge-tastic first foray into the Amulet universe is also inspired by the cult classic film Girl, Interrupted.
“This album is more me,” the 31-year-old explained, adding, “I’ve been able to have the space to just be myself. It’s probably the most important body of work I’ve ever done. It’s the best extension of myself that I’ve managed to capture up until this point.”
Amulet was written across sessions in London and Los Angeles with longtime collaborator Dylan Neustadter.
Following the release of Amulet, Freak Slug will take the new record on the road with a packed run of live dates, including Way Out West and Manchester Psych Festival.
The singer-songwriter has also announced an 18-date North American headline tour, beginning in Vancouver on October 23rd, before concluding at the Corona Capital in Mexico City on November 22nd.
Far Out gave Freak Slug’s debut album, I Blow Out Big Candles, a three-and-a-half star review, noting, “Slacker rock and shoegaze are big hitters across the record, as Genovese cites the likes of Stephen Malkmus and Hope Sandoval as major reference points, and while there are certainly moments where these reference points are handled with care, there are other moments where these expressions of admiration don’t translate into material that manages to stand out from the crowd.”
Amulet will be released on September 18th. Check out the official tracklist below.
Freak Slug – ‘Amulet’ tracklist:
- ‘Big Boy’
- Wishing Bone’
- ‘If I Could’
- ‘One Trick Pony’
- ‘Penny Drop’
- ‘Serpent’
- ‘Black Eyes’
- ‘Jade Green’
- ‘Girl, Intentions’
- ‘Then Let Me’
- ‘Actress’
- ‘Muse’
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