10 Slip (Tense Lip)

Released: 2025

Genre: Stoner rock

Sounds Like: Daily Thompson, The Sword, Slomosa

Homeland: Sydney, Nova Scotia

What makes Tense Lip elite and sit atop OHMs Peak?

Despite all the excitement Slomosa generated in the stoner rock scene last year, which was well-deserved, 10 Slip has now emerged and might be this year's breakout heavy band.
Hailing from Sydney, Nova Scotia, 10 Slip quickly became a staple in our heavy rotation. The album is packed with insanely catchy stoner hooks and clever songwriting.
The vocals from Gregor and Brandon enhance a punk/stoner atmosphere, creating a blend of 90s DIY rock with a classic stoner feel.
10 Slip deliver in a big way. It's one of the more entertaining heavy albums to bless our speakers this year.

Track Listing: 1. Dead Ain't Gonna Cry 3:57

2. Cult 4:25

3. 10 Split 6:02

4. The Wall 8:53

5. Shallow Waters 3:19

6. Mirrors 2:41

7. Hallowed Ground 5:41

8. Spore 9:19

Dive deeper into Tense Lip with our Q&A with guitarist/vocalist Brandon from 10 Slip.

OHMS Peak: Would love for a brief glimpse into your process and time commitment in making the album.

Brandon: We started writing Tense Lip around the same time that we released our debut EP Blackbeer’d in 2023. The EP was a collection of older tracks written as a two piece with bass being thrown in the mix down the road. Tense Lip marked a shift in our writing to a collaborative effort with far more intention on each instrument and the tracks as a whole. We spent the better part of that year writing tunes, flowing through the best creative hot streak we’ve ever had and hit the studio around October 2023.

Recording Tense Lip took another 7 months, another stark contrast to the quick and dirty two days we spent tracking Blackbeer’d. We worked with the same audio engineer, Colin Kelly of Red Sky Recording Studio but spent a lot more time setting up each track to get the best takes. Everything was recorded to a click paying extra attention to tempo changes and transitions. All guitar and bass takes were recorded via DI and re-amped later to dial in tones and effects. It was a totally new experience for us and the results are clear on the record. We used a rehearsal space in the basement of a local mall for tracking. Almost everything was recorded on the graveyard shift after all the businesses would close so we could dime amps and punish drums without consequence. When we were tracking bass you could feel the vibrations in the asphalt of the back parking lot. Colin spent another 3-4 months mixing the tracks and by October of 2024 we had mixes ready for the record company.

We always said no matter what it sounded like our first record would be called “Tense Lip”. It was a common mispronunciation of “10 Slip” and being a bunch of nerds we thought it would be a hilarious title for our first album.

OHMS Peak: We would love to hear about the writing process for 10 Split. The song moves along at a chilled bluesy pace than shifts to a punk/stoner vibe at the last 2 minutes.

Brandon: The main riff from 10 Split came to us while demoing some fuzz/OD tones in the jam room. It was originally very similar to an old tune from a local favourite of ours so we decided to drop tune it and slow it way down, resulting in the hazy groove that became 10 Split. The back half of the track came from our self awareness of constantly writing tunes that end slower and heavier. Instead we wanted to rip into something face paced that was different from what we’d typically write. We were also listening to a lot of Wine Lips at the time so that definitely played a role in the direction of this tune. The name itself is another common typo that fits the tracks' split up sections perfectly. Even more so, were just nerds that thought it would be even funnier to have the track 10 Split on Tense Lip by 10 Slip.

OHMS Peak: 'Shallow Waters' is all consuming with an interesting story. What is the meaning behind this track?

Brandon: Shallow Waters is rooted in the idea that even when you can see the bottom, you should be wary of what could be lying beneath the surface. It’s about the slimy people in life that thrive on the trust and manipulation of others, especially those in positions of authority. The story is told through the eyes of a man renouncing his village elders after finding they have used the word of god to prey upon the faith of their followers for their own personal gain. It was a very different style of writing that we enjoyed so much that we carried this story through Mirrors and Hallowed Ground.

OHMS Peak: The album art is terrific and fits your sound. Who created this beauty?

Brandon: The artist that brought this album to life was Fadli Safikri (@fadlisafikri_ on Instagram). We came across a piece he did for someone else and felt the style was perfect for this project. At the time the only thing we had to reference for the record's sound was an early draft of the opening track Dead Ain’t Gonna Cry, so Fadli drafted this piece based on his interpretation of that track. The landscape he used was based on a picture we sent from a hiking trip at the most northern point of Cape Breton Island. It was really cool to see that piece of our home added to the artwork.

OHMS Peak: What was your band’s most memorable live performance? Where was it held and why was the night so special?

Brandon: The most memorable performance we’ve ever had is hands down the release party we threw for Blackbeer’d. It was the release of our first EP and also one of the first shows we had played together since we all had been separated across half the country during the pandemic. Even if we played to no one, this show was going to be a celebration for us but to our surprise the venue was packed to capacity. The community in Sydney was beyond supportive of our little project and the energy in the room that night was unlike any show we’ve ever played. Honestly our set wasn’t even that great but it didn’t matter, the crowd was all in on Blackbeer’d and so were we. Because that show was so amazing we’re doing the same thing for the release of Tense Lip this Saturday (February 22nd) back at Ashby Legion.

OHMS Peak: What band NOT in your genre would you love to tour with that would most compliment your sound?

Brandon: We would love to tour with norc, another Nova Scotian band that we got to catch at Nova Scotia Music Week this year. They’re a mathy indie rock band that love to use a lot of strange transitions, time signatures and freakin’ weird grooves. They sound completely different from us sonically but their focus on the rhythm section would make the clashing sounds cohesive enough to be a really cool tour. Otherwise, if you have any contacts with King Gizz let us know.

OHMS Peak: We would love any insight as to your current and upcoming tour plans?

Brandon: We live in a pretty isolated region on the East Coast of Canada that makes it hard for us to travel very far. We’ve lined up a few shows this year in different parts of the province but are hoping to expand further through the Maritimes and Eastern Canada.

OHMS Peak: Your band is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turntable and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to?

Brandon: Picking a single record to listen to for what I can only assume would be the rest of our days probably should have been a huge debate but in reality we unanimously picked ATW within 3 or 4 suggestions. All Them Witches has always had a heavy influence on our sound and is a personal favourite for all of us. The tracks on ATW cover a lot of the band's changing sounds and give it that necessary unexpiring replayability to be a great desert island record.

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