Freak Slug

The name Freak Slug encapsulates Xenya Genovese’s artistic world perversely and perfectly. Her releases under the name so far – debut 2020 EP Videos and its viral hit “Radio” (15 million streams and counting), and follow-up EPs I’m In Love (2022) and Viva La Vulva (2023) – might have introduced listeners to a “more summery, happy, LA sound”, but with the advent of debut album I Blow Out Big Candles, this Slug is burrowing down into evermore unlikely places. As she accurately points out: “The name is giving more grunge than joy”.

Hugely influenced by ‘90s cult heroes including Ride, Mazzy Star and Stephen Malkmus, Freak Slug is all about hitting a mood. Everything that fuels her creative output is raw, authentic, sometimes weird, but always totally true self-expression. She wants to make music that “has bite”, that “doesn’t fuck about”, that “cuts the shit”. I Blow Out Big Candles is a strong statement of all of this and more. Down there, picking through the curious mix of sounds and feelings, from nostalgic, ‘90s-influenced and dreamy as well as eccentric and experimental, lives Freak Slug.

I Blow Out Big Candles is as fearless a record as Xenya herself and was met with features and reviews from DIY, Clash, Far Out, Uncut magazine, Line Of Best Fit, Notion, The Fader and NPR. In the UK Sexy Lemon made the Radio 1 playlist as BBC introducing song of the week as well as support from Jack Saunders has Radio 1’s New Music Show and BBC Radio 6 daytime shows while In the US it’s been added at Sirius XMU, KEXP, KCRW and KUTX to date and every week seems to bring more as the album seeps into people’s hearts. Fresh off a very successful headline run in North America and having drawn the largest audience at the British Music Embassy / BBC stage in SXSW 25 (as well as being the most saved UK artist on their App) she is becoming one of the UK’s most exciting new music exports.

Freak Slug has steadily been releasing music since her debut release – a cover of ‘Disorder’ by fellow Mancunian’s Joy Division – brought her into many people’s consciousness. Her music to date as amassed over 70 million Streams Worldwide and this summer Xenya was invited by Anderson Paak for a week long writing camp in Cork, Ireland hosted by Jameson’s Sound Distillery.

With her 4 piece band has performed at The Great Escape, Blue Dot, Greenman, End of The Road, SŴN, Live at Leeds, Mutations, Favourite Days and Borderline festivals and supported Dope Lemon, Yard Act and Local Natives. She has just completed a completely sold out a first tour of the US and has announced her 40 date Big Candles tour of the US and UK to support.

“Music to me means identity and community. When I was younger, it helped me and my friends feel like we belonged to each other. Til this day that still makes sense…”

If I wasn’t making music, I’d probably be trying to make painting work for a living. That’s what I was doing in the past when I was in Barcelona but then music became the main character. I’ve always been fascinated by street walls, thick dilapidating layers of paint, where the organic and industrial worlds meet. I love art that was never made intentionally, either by shadows, builders or history fading before our eyes.” – Xenya