Not everybody has heard of Slift, but anybody would be impressed by the numbers they’ve drummed up. In 2019, the psychedelic three-piece – singer/guitarist Jean Fossat, his bassist/co-vocalist brother Remí, and drummer Canek Flores – stopped by legendary Seattle radio station KEXP to record a live session. Footage of the set was published on Youtube and, over the pandemic, this obscure Toulouse trio became an inexplicable viral hit. Upwards of 1.5 million people have watched the Frenchmen smash genres on camera, their collision of space, prog, stoner and post-rock textures as unique as it is impossible to click away from.
Five years on, Slift are preparing to return to the States for an October headline tour. They’ll be promoting third album Ilion, released this January via Sub Pop Records: the original label of a then-pokey alt band called Nirvana. In advance of the shows, Hammer sat down with Jean to talk about Slift’s improbable journey so far, from their awkward early days playing caves and kitchens to the music they’re making next.
