Aussie alt rockers Sly Withers tell us all about their new single, new video and so much more…
3rd June 2025We caught up with Aussie alt-rock heavyweights Sly Withers as they drop the official video for their latest single, Restless—and trust us, it’s a ride.
Brace yourself for a full-throttle hit of pure alt-rock adrenaline—Restless (out now) rips through the frustration of being stuck, of chasing the version of yourself you want to be, whether in love, in life, or in how you show up for the people who matter. Packed with fierce riffs, raw emotion, and unstoppable energy, this track isn’t just a song—it’s a statement!
With Restless blazing the trail and a huge new album on the horizon, Sly Withers are ready to shake up the global scene—taking their signature sound from Australia to the world, one electrifying track at a time.
We sat down with Jono and Sam from the band to get the inside scoop…!
“Sly Withers”—it’s got an edge to it. What’s the story behind the name? Does it still capture the spirit of the band today?
SAM: When we first started the band in our final year of high school, Shea (bass player) and I had English Literature class together. One day we were bored in class while reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and were having a real hard time coming up with a band name we all liked, so on a whim we decided to open up the book to 2 random pages and throw our fingers down on 2 random words to see if that inspired us. We first landed on “sly” and then (you guessed it) “withers” and for some reason we all agreed that was a good idea for a band name haha
To be honest if I had my time again I would probably have gone with a different name, but I do like that we’ve been able to take those two random words and assign meaning to them through what we do. For better or worse, it’s us.
Your latest single, Restless, just dropped—what’s the emotion behind it? Were there any unexpected twists in the creative process?
JONO: Given this was the first track from the new batch of songs that will eventually make an album I wouldn’t say there was anything unexpected because it was quite an explorative process and we were keen to try some new things and a different approach to writing and recording in general. Having Stevie Knight onboard to produce this one was really cool, we’ve wanted to work with him for a long time. He definitely brings a lot to the table in terms of new ideas to try and I think it’s been really valuable to bring someone in from outside the core band crew to help refine and push things in directions we may not have thought of previously.
Your forthcoming album is on the way—what can fans expect? Any tracks that you’re particularly pumped for people to hear?
SAM: We’re looking to level up the production a little bit this time around. We’ve always been a pretty “meat and potatoes” 2 guitars, bass and drums type band in our recordings, but we’re looking to broaden those horizons with a bit more polish and intention in the execution. We’ve been working with a new producer in the incredible Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, With Confidence) and we are beyond excited at the results we’ve been getting. Stevie’s take on modern pop punk adjacent rock production is so sick. Can’t wait for people to hear it. Jono’s got a new song called Look Down that I’m particularly excited for people to hear. Hopefully sooner than later!
How has your sound evolved with this album compared to Gardens? Did you challenge yourselves in new ways?
JONO: I think when we did Gardens and Overgrown we would pick the kinds of tones we wanted and let that inform the choices we made around writing parts, whereas with Restless that process was reversed. In writing this new batch I think we’re pushing for more dynamics across the record and allowing the songs to breathe a bit more. Not trying to do everything on every song and being more intentional with our choices.
You’re about to hit UK stages—what kind of energy are you hoping to bring? Any dream moments you’re anticipating from the shows?
SAM: Getting to play these shows in general feels like a dream moment! We’ve wanted to bring our music here since we were in high school and it feels surreal to be able to finally achieve that. Hearing UK crowds singing along just as loud as they do back home in Aus is bloody wild. We are very lucky boys. Playing a sold out London show is going to be incredibly special. If I had to pinpoint a single thing that I’m most excited for, it’s probably that. We’ve been blown away by the response from Londoners to the show since it went on sale.
How do you think UK audiences compare to those back home in Australia? Any differences in how crowds vibe to your music?
SAM: So far they’ve been pretty similar to the vibe back home! Sly shows are generally defined by getting a group of lovely humans into a room to yell about their feelings together. Manchester especially had that for us. It felt like home in a place so far away from our own. It was really beautiful to discover that even 9000+ miles from home, our community feels just as wholesome as it does in Aus.
Touring can be wild—what’s been the most unexpected moment on the road so far? Any behind-the-scenes chaos you can share?
SAM: I’m actually writing this right now in the tour van with a busted ankle haha! It’s not even a good story. I just sat with my leg in an awkward position on the journey from Leeds to Glasgow the other day and now it’s all swollen and I can’t really walk that easily or quickly. But we soldier on! That’s the running theme with Sly. Touring is always throwing you curveballs and challenges so we’ve learnt to roll with it and make things work no matter what. I think the COVID era really prepared us for being flexible and finding ways to make it work. We had to overcome so many challenges related to touring around lockdowns and border closures in the pandemic years, and I think getting through that incredibly challenging time period fostered a real “whatever it takes” attitude in Team Sly.
You’ve worked with producer Stevie Knight on Restless—what did he bring to the table that pushed the track to the next level?
JONO: Stevie Knight is an incredible producer/musician/songwriter and we’ve wanted to work with him for years, so to have him onboard for this release is really special. It was real obvious early on that he had a great ear for what we were trying to achieve and had some great ideas for what we should be pushing to achieve with this album. Very excited to record more songs with him.
If you could collaborate with any UK artist while you’re here, who would be at the top of your list and why?
JONO: Sir Elton fkn John cause why not, heard he digs pop punk n all that.
Big picture—where do you see Sly Withers in five years? Any bucket-list goals still waiting to be ticked off?
SAM: I would love to build a community in the UK of like-minded folks (friends, bands, audiences, industry crew) like we have back home. We are nothing without our community and I’m super excited at the prospect of building something as special over here as we have in Australia. Getting to play at festivals over here like Slam Dunk or even Reading and Leeds would be an absolute “pinch myself” moment. Don’t even get me started on the idea of one day playing Glastonbury. Bucket list stuff for sure.
