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. 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.