Alternative New Artist Discovery Of The Week
#HAPPENS VIP Access
Let’s meet Slow Joy, the solo project of Esteban Flores.
| ARTIST | Slow Joy |
|---|---|
| SONG | “Gruesome” |
| LABEL | Mick Music |
| ORIGIN | Carlsbad, NM/Dallas, TX |
1. Please introduce yourself and give us the backstory on how Slow Joy got started.
I came from a super musical family so it was kind of expected of me to play some kind of instrument. Most of my life I wanted to be in a band or play music in some capacity. I gave up the dream when my mom passed away and started to do work on myself in counseling. I was recommended by my counselor to use music as an outlet to process my grief. Ironically that’s when everything fell into place. I gave up the dream of making it in music then the universe gave it back. Slow Joy is a reminder that good things take time.
2. How would you describe your music?
A homie trying his best to make honest music. It ends up in several different places. I guess the larger umbrella is Alt Rock but there are so many subgenres I’m not quite sure which one I fit in anymore.
3. Who are your biggest influences?
Modest Mouse, Nirvana, The Smiths, Oasis, IDLES, Fontaines DC, Tyler the Creator, Kings of Leon, and a large list of others.
4. What was the inspiration behind your new single, 'Gruesome'?
I was talking to a few friends about how easy it is to feel numb nowadays. It seems like it takes exceptionally horrible things to happen to get us to see humanity in others. I just don’t want to need things to be gruesome to feel them.
5. What would surprise people most about you?
I love MMA and combat sports. It’s like the only other thing besides skateboarding and music that I’ve felt like I found a community in. Surprisingly people who train are some of the chillest homies I’ve ever met. I guess getting punched in the face for a hobby makes you a nice person everywhere else.
