SLAP RASH – Chokeheld

Manchester siblings SLAP RASH return with “Chokeheld”, their first release since February’s “Monumental Rest” EP. Huw Lloyd handles bass while his sister Amelia Lloyd takes drums and vocals, creating a stripped-down attack that pulls from METZ and Lightning Bolt without sounding derivative.

The production comes from Samuel William Jones, who’s worked with Maruja and Slowhandclap, with mastering by Joe Carra of King Gizzard and Amyl and The Sniffers fame. The duo keeps things focused on bass and drums, letting the minimal setup hit harder than most full bands manage.

“Chokeheld” thrashes between doom riffs and jazz-inflected breakdowns. Huw’s discordant bass barely gets a moment before Amelia launches into a stream-of-consciousness vocal assault. It’s about feeling trapped in boring routines, craving something new but too hesitant to fully commit. The duo describes it as “the suffocating feeling of being trapped in an environment that doesn’t fulfil you.”