Fuzzy Slippers is made up of:
Andy Walsh on rhythm guitar and vocals
Ryan Shello on lead guitar and backing vocals
Mickey Collins on bass and backing vocals
Nick Thomas on drums
Fuzzy Slippers is a self-proclaimed "eclectic indie-rock and anxiety-punk" band from the great nation of Philadelphia, PA.
The song we will be talking about today, "Feel Sick", is described by the band as:
"A ska-punk jam about anxiety and how terrible it feels to like someone sometimes! It's a love song for overthinkers and worriers who are all-too-familiar with the feeling of butterflies in the stomach."
Which is about as perfect of a descriptive blurb as possible!
Though Fuzzy Slippers is officially built up by the core four (Andy, Ryan, Mickey, Nick), they had some other friends get their hands on this track to add even MORE flavor, including:
Mary Lou Fooder - Backing Vocals
Amber Botoff - Backing Vocals
Tom McHugh - Trombone
David DiTrapani - Trumpet
Anya Combs - Saxophone
I am so excited to discuss this track today (spoiler: it's really great).
Starting right off the bat with beautiful and classic Ska strums on the guitar, the drums and bass come charging in with a strong assertion, followed by an equally assertive horn section. To be clear, "assertive" in this context, is not a negative in the slightest. These instruments have worked hard and are not afraid to ask for a promotion that they damn well deserve!
I am pleased to report that the bass is very well represented in the mix, I know for a lot of people it is easy to ignore bass guitar or let it hide behind the other, more prominent instruments, but here it makes its presence known and is perfectly audible from start to finish without being too loud or overpowered; even if you've chosen not to focus on it, at any given moment it is easy to pinpoint.
The drums do a great job switching between allowing the other instruments to have their moments and choosing its own times to shine with incredible fills.
The obligatory horn section makes its mark with a very memorable melody that solidifies this track as an instant certified Ska banger. The trombone, trumpet, and saxophone are working together like three friends in middle school that just split their first Monster Energy drink and have a group project due on Monday and they all need an A to pass the class; they are in sync, strung out, and all operating on the same wavelength, occasionally each of them will trail off into their own thing, but it turns out to be a wonderful addition of individualism and pizazz, but ultimately, they ALWAYS find their way back together.
The vocals come in after only a few phrases, putting the finishing touches on the foundation that was progressively built by the guitar, bass, drums, brass, and woodwind. A distinct and unique voice starts with the titular phrase "you make me feel sick" and after an ellipsis, finishes the broken line with "to my stomach". The following line is where the lyrics begin to develop the specifics of the picture being painted, "like I ate a ton of butterflies and they all want me to vomit" which got a chuckle out of me due to how unexpected it was as well as how it exemplifies a very particular type of anxiety that is so familiar for many, if not all, of us. I have to commend a direct vocal choice, after the second "you make me feel sick" it is followed by "in a good way" that is sung as if their Lexapro has worn off and anxiety has forced their words to become soft, quivering, and embarrassed.
I really love the self-aware and self-referential lyrics that are so deeply real while simultaneously being a little tongue-in-cheek and silly. For example:
"This is kind of gross
for a love song
and probably kind of gross for
most other types of songs
Now that I think of it
saying you make me sick
well that might be
less than flattering"
For the majority of the song, most lines only consist of a small handful of actual words, but yet so much is said within them, and I think that's very impressive and skilled writing. I was sitting here trying to pick out my favorite lines or stanza, but after listening and reading the lyrics about 100 times, it's almost impossible to choose just one part as my favorite, all of it is so catchy and hysterically written. However, I do really love the whole chunk that goes,
"When I am with you I feel like
I am gonna die
like any sort of nervous twitch could steer me right into a big semi
and lying face down in a ditch I'd think 'oh god why?'
In fact I wish I had 'cause then I would get to fly
away"
Right after this stanza, we are met with a slow portion that gives us a brief moment to catch our breath from dancing. Introducing a very soft, twinkly guitar. There is a notable guitar moment in this segment that I was amazed by from my very first listen through. The vocals say, "spend all of eternity with you" and there is a pause between the words "with" and "you" that is filled by a single guitar strum, and that strum almost sounds as if it's saying the "you" before the words are actually spoken. I was blown away by how effective just one strum could be with such precise placement.
In case slow songs aren't your cup of tea, do not fear, because we get a pretty quick buildup that brings us right back into the full band antics with a complete ensemble. So pick up your feet and start flailing your arms because this is your last chance to go crazy and throw up butterflies before the song comes to a close.
"Feel Sick" by Fuzzy Slippers was released September 1st, 2024 and sits at 3 minutes and 17 seconds and not a single moment is wasted. There is not one instance of dead air and all of the instruments are utilized to full potential and it all comes together to make a hugely fun and catchy song.
While writing this review, I sent the Spotify link to my friend Billy, and this is how that conversation went:
Me: Spotify link* *
B: Remind me to listen to this
Me: When?
B: In about an hour or so
Me: I'll probably send it again when I finish writing this review
B: Just write it into the review
And here we are, so if you don't mind, I have to go send this song to some friends, and you should listen to it too!
But wait, there's more! This is CD-ROM Rabbit Hole's first official, complete Inter-Review! Not just a review, not just an interview, but BOTH! I am so grateful to get to Inter-Review Fuzzy Slippers from Philadelphia, PA. So once you've listened to "Feels Sick" make sure to come back and read their interview down below!
Interview:
Hey everyone! I appreciate you all for taking some time to answer these questions. I'd like to start with some questions just to get to know the band.
First off, who came up with the name "Fuzzy Slippers", where did the name come from, and what made you decide to stick with that one?
Ryan: “Fuzzy Slippers” is a character from Hey Arnold, he’s like Gerald’s “secret informant” that is frequently referenced but never shown on screen. In the era when Fuzzy was a duo, choosing a name became a long, protracted process with a billion suggested names, none of which seemed to fit. Finally, we landed on that reference, and that was it!
Andy: Piss Thermos was a close second.
Ryan: No it wasn’t.
We've previously established that you are based in the great nation of brotherly love, Philadelphia (go birds), are you all originally from there? How did you all meet and how did the conception of the band come about?
Ryan: We’re all ex-pats of other states; Andy, Ryan, and Nick are all New Jerseyites, and Mickey is from Maryland. Andy and I met in college at Rowan University, and eventually got in touch afterwards and started playing together. We met Nick through Dan Addis of the band Tough Guy Soda, who suggested him after playing with his old band, Fuzz King. Mickey was a craigslist find, after a long search for a bassist.
Have any of you been in bands prior to Fuzzy Slippers? When you formed this band, were you all aware of the type of music you wanted to make (anxiety-punk, Ska, indie-rock) or was that more of a natural progression once you started practicing together?
Ryan: I played in bands all through high school, largely stopped in college, and then played in an Indie Rock called Cortez Cortez after college. I listened to a lot of ska in high school, but mostly played and wrote more indie/post-rock. When I started playing with Andy, we were operating as a two-piece, and a lot of songs already existed, so it was more about adapting to the format than anything. Since then, we’ve kind of settled into a voice, but it was a long, slow process, with many, many iterations.
Andy: I was briefly in a ska cover band after high school, but other than that I was mostly just working on the stuff that became Fuzzy Slippers.
Mickey: I used to play in a death metal band in Maryland back in highschool/college, that’s sort of how I cut my teeth in DIY music. Before moving up to Philly, I was working on starting an emo/math rock project called Hoodsey with some hometown friends, and if you google really diligently, you can still find our one demo buried somewhere in bandcamp.
Nick: In typical drummer fashion I’ve been around. The first band I was in was this post-grunge band called March Horizon with my pal Anthony (aka Jav) and his cousin. We also were in a blues-rock cover band that had a few originals as well. I played in a few different cover bands in my college days, but then got around once I moved back to the area. I was in Echo Chaser (with Jav again) which turned into the stoner metal inspired Fuzz King after our guitarist left. I also joined up with my buddy Coleman to be one of the Ridgerunners for a bit, and also had a tenure with This Kills Me as well. Those are the most notable bands, but I’ve filled in here and there as well. I’m currently back down to just being a one-band kinda guy, but there was a time when I played in the 3 previous bands AND Fuzzy Slippers congruently.
Do any of you play multiple instruments, or, what other instrument would you love to learn how to play? How long have you been playing your respective instruments, and why did you choose them?
Mickey: I think we all play multiple instruments, or at least have tried multiple instruments at different points in our lives. I grew up learning Trumpet and Piano before promptly dropping those and picking up guitar at 14, because if there’s one thing I learned from Drake and Josh, it’s that playing guitar makes you cool and popular automatically.
Ryan: I started playing guitar at 13, and trombone not long after. Since then I’ve tried to pick up a bit of everything, including drums, bass, trumpet, banjo… No woodwinds though.
Andy: I played saxophone really badly in high school, and I think I picked up guitar at 15 or so? One of my friends played guitar and they were a big part of my interest in learning it. Now I dabble in a little bit of everything, but mostly I wish I was better at piano and drums.
Nick: Just drums for me. I dabbled a smidge with bass, and played alto sax in middle school, but drums are the only one that I can competently perform. Though, I did promise my partner that I’d serenade her with ‘Careless Whisper’ on the Otamatone, so stay tuned for that.
One of your previous releases is a cover of "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants, so, what are you favorite episodes from Malcolm In The Middle
Mickey: First things first, I want you to know that when you sent us these questions and I read this one, I immediately went to my partner and we made a tournament bracket to compare our favorite episodes to pick favorites. What I can tell you is I overwhelmingly love a Dewey episode. When he starts using a purse instead of a backpack, and at the end he’s being cornered by bullies and he pummels them with the purse that he had filled with bricks, gets me every time.
Andy: I really love a Cloris Leachmen episode, or the Dewey episode where he hangs out with that one lady from the Golden Girls.
Mickey: Bea Arthur! That’s another favorite, when the two of them are dancing to Abba’s Fernando in the kitchen? Beautiful.
Andy: Or when Dewey builds a secret organ out of junk in the garage. Or when Dewey and Hal get too invested in building blocks.
Mickey: The winning episode from my bracket was Family Reunion, when the family teams up to get revenge on Hal’s extended family after they mistreat Lois so badly it makes her cry. That one is super touching.
Nick: Oh man, it’s been way too long since I watched any MITM so I’m not finding any memorable moments, but I’m feeling inspired to do a binge watch.
I would like to shift focus onto your new single, "Feel Sick" for some following questions.
I see that Andy wrote the lyrics for this track, what is your writing process, how do you come up with these ideas and put the words down on paper? Is it primarily all in one sitting or is it kind of sporadic, as lyrics pop into your head over time?
Andy: Slow and sporadic. I usually write during bouts of insomnia, so I’ll get a little done one night, then maybe a week or two later add another verse. A lot of song ideas die during those interim periods, but if it survives long enough to get a couple verses and a chorus then I’ll start trying to fit chords and melody to it.
To piggyback off of that question, how does the song ultimately take its shape? Do you all go home and individually come up with fun parts for your instruments and then bring them to practice and try to find a way to incorporate them or is it a fully communal writing process in the room with each other? What aspects came first when creating this song and how did you build upon it?
Ryan: Feel Sick is a song that has existed for a very long time, and it’s taken multiple forms in that time. The trumpet part has more or less always existed-
Mickey: Except it’s a kazoo on the live EP!
Ryan: -but it wasn’t always a ska song; that was a choice we made when we moved to the full band format. For us, the writing process is very iterative: a lot of things are worked out in the room, and go through multiple variations and tweaks to fine-tune the details.
Is there a specific story or experience that directly inspired this song, or is it more of a general concept of feeling anxious when you really like someone?
Andy: I don’t know if there was any specific experience, I think it just kind of feels like that every time.
On January 20th of 2019, you put out an album titled "(I Still) LIVE at My Parents' House" which features a live version of "Feel Sick", what made you choose this song to be your first single? I don't want you to prematurely spoil any upcoming surprises, but can you give us any insight into what might be coming next?
Ryan: Something that happened across the album is that we play in-genre a lot - Feel Sick is one of those. I think we had some worry about releasing a “genre” song as a first single, since we’re not actually a ska band; but in the end, we went with something we thought was fun and catchy above all else.
Mickey: Without giving away too much about the future, the next single we have planned is nothing that’s available anywhere right now. Single number two is going to be brand new to most listeners, though some people might recognize it if they’ve seen us play live before. It also happens to be my favorite song on the album, and Nick and I were adamant about releasing it as one of our singles.
I don't want anyone to beat themselves up over this question, but as a musician myself, I think we're all our own biggest critics, and I find it fascinating to hear what bands think of the minute details that casual listeners might not pick up on. Before I ask this, I want to preface by saying, we are here to promote a song, not tear it down, I really love this track and 'no, I'm proud of it and it's a perfect song' is a 100% acceptable answer. Are there any criticisms you have of this song? Is there anything you would have liked to change or done differently? And to combat any potentially negative answers, what are your favorite aspects of the song?
Ryan: Honestly? I don’t have a lot for this one. Since I usually play the horns on this live, I only played a small backing guitar part in this version. Off the Bar Brass provided the horns, one hundred times better than I ever could.
Mickey: I never said anything, but I actually really didn’t like the guitar tone that Andy has for the song for the longest time, but it’s so intentional I decided to keep my mouth shut and just trust the process, and I’m so glad I did because it clearly works and I was clearly wrong.
Andy: I’m devastated by this revelation, but I still think Mickey’s bass part is my favorite thing about this song.
Nick: I’m with Andy on this one, the bass line and tone rip in this track. Otherwise, not really any criticisms from me either other than I think there’s one fill that I did that wasn’t like 100% there, but it’s one that only I would notice.
This is a little cliché, but who are some of your greatest influences in music? Also, are there any other up-and-coming bands, or just friends and family, that you would like to give a shout out to?
Andy: The Mountain Goats, They Might Be Giants, and Jeff Rosenstock are probably my big three.
Mickey: It’s hard not to pick like a hundred influences, but some of mine are Origami Angel, My Chemical Romance, Modest Mouse, Green Day, Pink Floyd (for experimental stuff), and since Andy said Jeff already, I’ll go with Bomb The Music Industry instead. As for bands I’d like to shout out, I really want to acknowledge all of my friends from my old metal band who are now in new projects. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing this. Shouts out to Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Out to Destroy, and Granite State. We don’t keep in touch much but I still love those guys.
Nick: Uuuhhhmmm this one is always tough for me to answer since I have such a sporadic direction in music tastes. My foundation has always been like classic R&B/Soul/Motown since that’s what I would play along with to learn how to even play these drums (Most of James Brown’s songs and Edwin Starr’s 25 Miles were pretty instrumental in learning what little chops I have). Other than that I’ve been a Bouncing Souls and Alkaline Trio fan since middle school, with a hyperfixation on Rise Against in there for a bit.
We got some serious questions out of the way, now I'd like to end this interview with a few silly and lighthearted questions.
If you were all Scooby-Doo characters, who would be who, and why?
Ryan: Shaggy, because I’m the tallest.
Mickey: See I also would have picked Shaggy because I like to get high and hang out with dogs.
Nick: Scooby, because I got that dawg in me.
Andy: Velma.
Do any of you have names for your instruments? If so, what are they, and why?
Ryan: I’ve only ever named one guitar: I have an old, janky 50’s Silvertone acoustic named Jessica. I have no idea why.
Andy: I don’t name my instruments, but if I did I’d probably use the same naming convention that fantasy writers use for swords. Like Foe-Hammer, Lightbringer, etc.
Mickey: When I was a teenager I briefly, privately tested out calling my one guitar “Edge”, and that proved too edgy to last, even for teenage me. Thank goodness.
Nick: Nah, nothing named for me
What's the funniest, or most embarrassing, thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
Nick: The one that comes to mind was when me and Ryan were playing a This Kills Me show at Oddity Bar in Wilmington (oh yeah I forgot to mention that Ryan was in that one, but he probably also mentioned that) and since Matt (vox/guitar) is a massive Descendants fan and also knows them since he co-directed the documentary ‘Filmage’ he gave Milo a shout to come to the show since he lives in the area. Well, since we did a cover of Good Good Things, Milo comes up and does the song with us, but the song right before I broke a stick and caught myself in the face with the jagged edge, like almost skewering my eyeball. So of course there’s a video out there of us playing this song with Milo with blood dripping down my face. I’m sure there’s plenty more but I’ve probably just blocked them from my memory.
Mickey: Not technically on-stage, but just a couple months ago at practice I was trying to do some Cliff Burton style crab walk antics… I did one squat to get into position and immediately and completely busted the seam running up the inner left side of my shorts. And we hadn’t even started practicing yet, this was just during the pre-practice goof-around time. I had to spend the next four hours basically pantsless.
Andy: One time on stage I accidentally locked eyes with Frank from Frankly Lost (excellent band, please go check them out) while also coincidentally singing the word “Frankly”. Frank made this very funny gesture of recognition that caused me to laugh and mess up that section of the song. Maybe not the most spectacular story, but that moment has stuck with me for whatever reason.
Thank you so, so much to Fuzzy Slippers for joining us today, I am so grateful to have spoken with you and reviewed your song "Feel Sick" which is now streaming wherever you listen to music, you can find all their links and socials down below, give them a listen, give them a follow, and I wish you all the best of luck and great success on your future endeavors!
All of Fuzzy Slipper's Links HERE
( https://linktr.ee/askfuzzyslippers )
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