The Key Studio Sessions: Slutever

They make it look so simple. Drums and riffs, loud amps and unbridled vocals, short and to the point. That’s not to say rock-n-roll is a cakewalk for co-drummer/guitarists Nicole Snyder and Rachel Gagliardi. When they recorded their Key Studio Session with us in March (right before hopping on the South By Southwest caravan), the ladies of Slutever were impressively adroit – excited to record in such a big room and determined to get just the right sound. The nervy, frustrated number “So Prone” caused a spot of nervous frustration in the studio when the feedback drone at the beginning wasn’t droning correctly. The band took a couple passes through the song, we did some technical troubleshooting in the control room, and on the third go-round, Snyder absolutely nailed it, making her guitar rumble and wail like a raygun firing in some cavernous outer-space realm. Other songs flowed in more of a spunky one-and-done fashion—the catchy “ooh-ooh” harmonies on “R.I.P. Maple” were perfect each time they came up, and “No Offense” was a total blast. Watching Gagliardi and Snyder work, it becomes harder to describe what they do using words like “reckless” and “sloppy.” There’s a serious amount of craft to being as punk as them. Slutever performs Thursday April 21 at The North Star Bar with The Pipettes and Dear Althea. Tickets to the 21+ show are $12.