Sledding is a poster band for the power of networking in Brooklyn’s fertile music scene. It was a little more than eight months ago that singer/guitarists Aidan Drouse and Khadija “Deej” Aslam huddled with bassist Kelsey Kussman in a Ridgewood basement to feel their way around some new songs during New York City’s historic back-to-back blizzards. The three had met while playing in various local bands, and within weeks, they’d already booked their first show at the trendy Williamsburg haunt Baby’s All Right. They also enlisted multi-instrumentalist Woods Prewitt to flesh out the lineup.
“Playing in other projects has made it easier for us to have fun with this one,” says Drouse. “We’re friends first and not just coworkers or something.”
In person, Sledding takes its cues from ’90s alt-rock’s hard-and-fast contingent. “We look to bands that pull off a tight, heavy live sound without feeling busy,” says Drouse. “Namely, Linkin Park.”
And as “My Golden Tempo” proves, they’re also not averse to reaching across the pond for some inspiration. “There’s this one three-note vocal slide Liam Gallagher uses in every Oasis song that’s insanely catchy—and I do that on the hook,” says Drouse. “A shoutout NYC rock legends Mold, as well.”
Currently, Sledding is readying its debut EP, which Aslam sees as a more accurate reflection of the band’s sound. “It’s super-rhythmic, spacey, dissonant and not as poppy as ‘Golden Tempo,’” she says. “But this song is just too fun to play live, so we had to drop it.”
We’re proud to premiere Sledding’s “My Golden Tempo.” Look for the band’s debut EP this fall.
—Hobart Rowland
