Photo by Jay Martin
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ABOUT SLOW JOY
When Esteban Flores started releasing singles under the moniker Slow Joy in 2020, it didn’t take long for his music to gain momentum. In particular, a pair of 2022 singles, “Crawling” and “Soft Slam,” and his debut EP, 2023’s Wildflower, connected with fans thanks to an evocative, sensitive combination of soaring space rock, noisy shoegaze and dynamic post-rock. The passion and heart that Flores pours into Slow Joy shine even brighter on his new EP, Mi Amigo Slow Joy, recorded at New Jersey’s Barbershop Studios with a dream collaborator, producer Mike Sapone (Oso Oso, The Front Bottoms, Grouplove). Although the EP’s underlying influences are similar as that of past releases, the arrangements are crisper and each instrument is more defined within the simmering mixes.
Knowing he was going into the studio with someone he deeply respected pushed Flores to refine his songwriting and turn to enduring inspiration (specifically the pillars of alternative rock) as touchstones. But the EP’s visuals and title, Mi Amigo Slow Joy, are also meaningful to Flores, as they represent him making sure his art reflects his Hispanic heritage and culture. Growing up in small-town New Mexico as a fan of rock music—a genre that had next to no Hispanic artists at the forefront—he didn’t necessarily see himself represented in crowds or onstage. However, going on tour is helping Flores see the profound impact Slow Joy is having on others. At a sold-out homecoming show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a line of people came up to him and thanked him for championing Hispanic culture. “To me, the more representation, the better” Flores says. “And I’m thankful that the people who felt maybe like I did can now have more archetypes that they can say, ‘Well, if he can do it, then someone else can do it.’”
