Manchester’s Freak Slug shares new single Blue Eyes ahead of ANZ debut shows + SXSW Sydney this month
PRAISE FOR Freak Slug
“A perfect chord of weird and charming that feels fitting for her band’s peculiar name. The result is silly, entertaining, and truthful enough you'll wish you could live in Genovese’s head”
“'I Blow Out Big Candles’ is a bold and assured statement, blending pop hooks with a sense of nocturnal longing. The result is a grungy set of eccentric love songs built for the hopeless romantics out there”
“An ear for melody that gives these tracks something tangible to hang onto within the haze”
“The unpredictability and sass across the album makes for a gripping ride. Freak Slug has delivered a party where everyone’s invited – just don’t be surprised if things get weird by midnight”
FREAK SLUG
Loose Tooth And A Short Skirt EP
Nov 7 via Future Classic
PRE-SAVE HERE
EP TRACKLIST
Honest Man
Miss June
Blue Eyes
Does It Matter
Only Friend
‘Blue Eyes‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Freak Slug – the project of UK multi-disciplinarian Xenya Genovese – today shares her latest single ‘Blue Eyes’, set to feature on her forthcoming EP Loose Tooth And A Short Skirt out on Nov 7 via Future Classic. The single arrives ahead of her debut Australian headline dates this month, alongside SXSW Sydney. LISTEN HERE + PRE-SAVE EP HERE + TICKETS HERE.
Following her latest single ‘Honest Man’, the low-slung ‘Blue Eyes’ leans into a new sonic direction. Co-written with producer Dom Valentino, revered for his work with artists including Skepta and Greentea Peng, Valentino “brings a spice that an indie producer just wouldn’t bring,” shares Xenya. She continues, “The vibe I wanted to set was that of a surrealist painter’s romantic scene, where on the horizon there are still a few things that aren’t clear. The casual romance is explored through visceral imagery of blue eyes and the English seaside that grounds you and feels like you’re really there.”
When Freak Slug crawls down into the weeds of the human experience, documenting life’s messiest, knottiest parts, people connect to it just as much as when she creates out in the sun – see her viral early hit ‘Radio’, with 24 million Spotify streams and counting. There’s still a rich seam of melody to be found, and an innate way with a hook, but Genovese isn’t afraid to tap into the more uncomfortable parts of her brain too. And now, new EP Loose Tooth and a Short Skirt goes one further, leaning into her roots with a release that bridges the gap into a whole new forthcoming era.
Writing between tours in London and Los Angeles, she found herself immersed in the extremities of both herself and the world around her. “I like to experiment writing with the sun and the moon,” she nods. “The sun is very energetic and the moon brings darkness; as soon as it goes dark, the shadow self comes up. People go to bed and they start overthinking.” More than ever, Loose Tooth and a Short Skirt deals with matters of the heart. “Oh, there’s all kinds of love stories there, different ones – break up, fancy you, hate you,” she says. “But it’s a more real interpretation of it all, maybe.”
Over the course of her career, Xenya Genovese has been peeling back the layers of Freak Slug to dig further down into the rawest, truest parts of herself; doing away with any pretence. Major dates touring across the UK and US, over 52 million career streams to her name, sessions across SXSW Austin to live sessions with KEXP, Audiotree and more fortified her debut album I Blow Out Big Candles in late 2024 – a statement that cemented her position as an unpredictable and immediately resonant artist in the alternative rock space.
As viscerally exciting live as she is on record, Freak Slug does it all with feeling – a must-see for fans of cult indie, femme punk, and everything in between. Later this month, she’ll embark on her debut Australian tour, playing headline shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney supported by Little Guilt, and performing at SXSW Sydney, before heading over for more shows in New Zealand supported by Jude Kelly. Coming alive on stage, Freak Slug is set to promise a surreal, emotionally charged trip as an artist who continues to dream big.
The name Freak Slug encapsulates Xenya Genovese’s artistic world perversely and perfectly. Picking through the curious mix of sounds and feelings, from nostalgic, 90s-influenced and dreamy as well as eccentric and experimental, lives Freak Slug. Hugely influenced by cult heroes including Ride and Mazzy Star, her work is all about hitting a mood. Where debut EP Videos and its viral hit “Radio” (13.5 million Spotify streams and counting), and follow-up EPs I’m In Love and Viva La Vulva might have introduced listeners to her “more summery, happy, LA sound”, on her debut album I Blow Out Big Candles, Freak Slug dreamt big. Playful, fun, but not shying away from the darker sides of both sound and psyche, her singular purview built off fine arts training, unconventional self-taught musicianship and the school of life fuels her creative output. A must-see for fans of cult indie, femme punk, and everything in between.
In 2025, Freak Slug has been making waves across the UK, Europe, and the US with a string of standout festival and tour appearances. Kicking off with a performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March before returning to the UK for an extensive run across some of the continent’s beloved festivals, Latitude Festival, Kendal Calling, Leeds Festival, Rock N Roll Circus and more solidifying her as one of the most exciting emerging names on the international live circuit. Freak Slug has carved out a lane that’s as unpredictable as it is unforgettable. Whether she’s casting love spells over slinking basslines, unpacking emotional messiness with a sly grin, or comparing exes to disappointing desserts, she does it all with unfiltered honesty and theatrical flair.
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