Slippers - Slippers 08 (2026)
Artist: Slippers
Author: Sarah
Date: 07/20/2026
Listen: Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify
It can often be a bit too just-so to compare two unrelated albums simply because they were released on the same label at almost the same time, but Slippers 08 strikes me a bit as being a mirror image of Graceful. Where Touch Girl Apple Blossom were able to cover up weaknesses in their songwriting by making everything sound beautiful, Slippers clearly have the songs but are let down by a far-too-weak sound.
For example, lead single "Wants for Everyone" has the same songwriting conceit as Touch Girl Apple Blossom's lead single, "The Springtime Reminds Me of...", where the bands leave us hanging with an intentionally incomplete chorus. The latter never succeeded in building up any tension, so it just felt incomplete, but Slippers builds up the chorus enough to really knock the wind out of us when it ends earlier than it feels like it should. More conventionally, the Aislers Set-ish "Fool in Your Room" and the lovely "Til You Know" have well-built hooks that by all rights should have you singing along immediately, but unfortunately their potential is severely undercut by the production.
It's clear that the production choices on Slippers 08 were made with something like "shyly unassuming" in mind. Unfortunately, they completely missed the mark and instead ended up with an album that practically whispers "please ignore me". Aside from the fuzzed-out riff of "Fool in Your Room" and the incongruous synthesizer intruding on "Who Escapes the Storm", there's not really anything on the album that threatens to make you notice it.
In the eternal battle of style versus substance, style has once again won a victory with Slippers 08. Madeline Babuka Black is clearly someone who would be capable of writing a great indiepop album, but neither her nor her collaborators seem to have the confidence in the songs necessary to make the listener believe in them. I'll bet the songs are all pretty fun to hop around to live; but for now, Slippers doesn't live up to their potential in the studio.