Nashville’s Slow Shiv are trying to bridge a gap that heavy music has struggled with for decades.
Here’s everything to know about the band: Slow Shiv describe their sound as “Diet Violence” or “Mean Pop,” pulling equally from power violence, hardcore, sludge, noise rock, and hook-heavy alternative rock. The result is something ugly, catchy, abrasive, and surprisingly accessible all at once. Today, No Echo is premiering “Over My Head,” a track from the band’s upcoming EP II, due out May 22
At the core of Slow Shiv’s identity is a desire to challenge the notion that harsh music must alienate listeners. Guitarist/vocalist Jordan Smith says the band formed around a shared appreciation for extreme sounds. No matter what style you want to call what the band is doing, "Over My Head" is a catchy motherfucker of a track:
“All three of us greatly appreciate extreme alternative music,” Smith explains. “Whether it’s power violence, death metal, hardcore, noise rock, sludge, etc., we find something inspiring in heavily distorted, ugly sounds. The song structures, dynamics, and gain textures are more interesting and unpredictable. There are less rules, and we love that.”
But the band also recognized a recurring problem when trying to share that music outside hardcore circles.
“One thing that is exceptionally frustrating about sharing music like this with your friends and family is that a lot of people have issues with harsh vocal techniques and will dismiss a song the moment any screaming starts,” Smith says. “There are so many killer records people miss out on because of this.”
That realization became the blueprint for Slow Shiv. “We started writing heavy songs with aggressively sung vocals full of pop hooks that mirror a lot of hardcore and power violence song structures,” he explains. “That’s why we define our sound as ‘Diet Violence’ or ‘Mean Pop.’”
The band was founded in 2023 after Diarrhea Planet guitarist and songwriter Jordan Smith returned to writing music following several reunion performances from the long-running Nashville band. Smith linked up with producer and longtime collaborator Dan Diaz—who also toured with Diarrhea Planet during its final years—and the two began developing songs before recruiting drummer Jordan McGee, whose work in hardcore band Advent brought an extra level of intensity to the project.
That collision of backgrounds is all over “Over My Head,” which balances blown-out heaviness with undeniable melodic instincts. The track feels equally indebted to chaotic hardcore and alternative rock songwriting, refusing to fully settle into either lane.
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The II EP will be out on May 22.
Slow Shiv on social media: Instagram
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