Slint formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1986 out of the hardcore band Squirrel Bait and quietly invented post-rock. Spiderland (1991) — spoken-word vocals, quiet-loud dynamics, recorded in four days — remains one of the most important albums the genre ever produced. Shop Slint vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Slint formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1986 around Brian McMahan, David Pajo, Britt Walford, and Ethan Buckler. The members had previously played together in the Squirrel Bait, a foundational Louisville hardcore punk band. They are widely cited as one of the foundational acts of post-rock and math rock as recognized genres. Their second album Spiderland (1991) - recorded in just four days with Steve Albini-produced engineering and featuring Brian McMahan spoken-word vocals over quiet-loud dynamic compositions - is widely cited as one of the most important post-rock albums in popular music history and established the foundational template for the genre. The band dissolved shortly after Spiderland's recording in 1991, with members scattered into multiple subsequent projects (David Pajo into Tortoise / Papa M / Aerial M / Stereolab / Will Oldham / Yeah Yeah Yeahs etc.; Britt Walford into the Breeders / Palace Music). They have reformed for occasional touring since 2005, performing the Spiderland album in its entirety. Lance Bangs's 2014 documentary Breadcrumb Trail documented the band's history. Their foundational influence on post-rock, math rock, slowcore, and broader contemporary independent music is widely cited.
Slint's sound is foundational to post-rock and math rock - combining post-rock, math rock, slowcore, indie rock, alternative rock, post-hardcore, and noise rock with McMahan's distinctive vocal delivery (use of spoken-word and intimate phrasing), virtuosic interlocking guitar arrangements, complex compositional approaches (use of unusual time signatures and dynamic shifts), and lyrical content addressing themes drawing on American post-hardcore traditions.
Original Touch and Go Records pressings of the Slint catalog are foundational items in post-rock and math rock collecting, with collector premiums on the Spiderland original pressings.
Listeners new to Slint typically start with Spiderland (1991).
