DEBUT SINGLE 'SLOW DEATH' is streaming now

W: Thomas Drake I:  Luca Pantel (@jelllyfishh on Instagram).

For anyone just tuning in, CHNNLS are five guys straight out of California with a penchant for daytime television, crushing dynamics, and a total disregard for cookie-cutter song structures. Fresh off the release of their debut single, 'Slow Death', the underground heavyweights-in-the-making sit down to talk pre-show shots, studio door struggles, and shattering the boundaries of modern alternative music.

How do you pin down a band that draws from underground shoegaze, post-punk, dance music, and hip-hop without landing on a single rigid genre? You don't. You just turn the volume up. When asked to paint a picture of their sonic identity, the band keeps it brief:

"Loud, quiet, then loud again."

That raw, dynamic tension isn't just a style choice—it’s the backbone of their entire creative philosophy. Where most acts feel forced to fit into existing algorithms or subgenres, CHNNLS are comfortably operating in their own orbit. "We aren’t thinking about that," they explain regarding their placement in the current music landscape. "We are just writing the music we want to write without any outside pressures or opinions."

"A song should be as chaotic as possible. But controlled chaos."

Step backstage an hour before a CHNNLS set and you won't find high-maintenance demands or zen meditation circles. Instead, expect a precise, slightly chaotic sequence of events: two shots of Popov vodka per member, one mystery-flavour Airhead passed around the room, and a final shot of Popov to kill the remaining nerves.

That mix of tight-knit camaraderie and unfiltered energy extends straight into their writing process. The band's greatest strength and its biggest hurdle, comes down to pure, uncompromising investment. "How much we care about our art and the effort we put into every little detail," they cite as their ultimate superpower. Naturally, that intensity comes with a friction point: "Each of us has such strong opinions on our art that it can cause a 'ruckus' in the group chat."

And as for the hardest physical obstacle, they’ve faced so far?

"The door leading into the tracking room at the studio is pretty heavy. Sometimes it takes two of us to push through it."

When you drop the needle on 'Slow Death', the first thing you're hit with is the retro, analog warmth of a Mellotron. But beneath the hypnotic instrumentation lies a weightier, subtle commentary on modern existence. While the band prefers to let listeners draw their own conclusions, they drop one key hint: the track explores the concept of a "recent technology" slowly becoming the ultimate undoing of society. If you were to pair the track with its ideal cinematic counterpart? Think peak high-octane spectacle: a Transformers film featuring Shia LaBeouf reprising his role as Sam Witwicky, helmed, obviously by Michael Bay.

With 'Slow Death' gaining rapid traction, the momentum is pushing CHNNLS to roll out new material as fast as possible. If they could open the studio doors to any legendary producer to capture what comes next, late icons like Steve Albini top the wishlist. Expect fewer rules, unpredictable shifts, and zero interest in standard pop formulas as the group continues to carve out their space.

As for the single biggest growth fans will notice on stage this year?

"Our keyboardist, Nicky, is scheduled to get leg extension surgery, so probably his height."

'Slow Death' is out now on all streaming platforms.