Every week, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf shares a sonic gem she found using her nearly 20 years of new-music exploration experience. You can hear all her discoveries live on 88Nine at 10 p.m. every Monday on What’s All This: Adventures in New Music.
Manchester rocker Xenya Genovese (aka Freak Slug) delivered a reflective and real bit of grimy, sparkly pop with her newest single, “Honest Man.”
Genovese showed us she’s capable of writing catchy songs with her late-2024 studio debut, I Blow Out Big Candles. And although pop-catchy, the work still retains plenty of her personality; they’re not run-of-the-mill.
That’s exactly what makes Freak Slug so appealing. She crafts earworms that are heartfelt and relatable, yet they feel like they run on bubblegum, sunshine, eyeliner and skate videos (and anything else Genovese is into at any particular moment).
Even though “Honest Man” is a little simpler in structure than her previous output, that doesn’t mean the song packs any less of a punch. It might actually hit harder because of its reflectiveness.
Genovese shares that “Honest Man” was inspired by being in the L.A. sunshine for about six months after breaking up with her partner, reflecting on repetitive cycles and patterns one makes. As she sings, “Every bruise and every cut.”
“Honest Man” will land on her forthcoming EP, Loose Tooth and a Short Skirt, out Nov. 7 on Future Classic Records. You can hear it right now on the latest episode of What’s All This, available via the player at the top of the page, and then bounce back to 88Nine for another collection of fresh tunes at 10 p.m. every Monday.
Best new indie music this week
- Steve Gunn, “Nearly There”
- Orillia, “Rich Chicago People”
- Guided By Voices, “(You Can’t Go Back To) Oxford Talawanda”
- Freak Slug, “Honest Man”
- Sunflower Bean, “Crashing Highs”
- hemlocke springs, “the beginning of the end”
- SPRINTS, “Better”
- Hatchie, “Lose It Again”
- Cut Copy, “Belong To You (ft. Kate Bollinger)”
- Ladytron, “I Believe in You”
- The Last Dinner Party, “The Scythe”
