Leah Wellbaum has never been afraid of her own humility or honesty. But she’s neverquite examined it the way she has now withParallel Timeline.On Slothrust’s latest album, bandleader Leah Wellbaumpushed herself to try andunderstand her own spirituality on a deeper level, putting a lens on the core wound ofthe human experience, the idea that we’re alone. WithParallel Timeline, Wellbaumexplores the feeling of being trapped inside her own consciousness whilesimultaneously searching for a meaningful connection to the universe, and all themysteries it contains.During the writing process, Wellbaum sought to connect with her inner child-a voicethat allows ideas to flow freely and without censorship. Ultimately, it allowed her to findpoetic catharsis. The album’s artwork and visuals reflect that ethos as well. For her,inverted colored rainbows and orbs became a gateway to exploring the illusory thingswe see and experience in everyday life. Theiconography of this record explores thespace where science and the whimsical intersect, and where the unfamiliar becomeshardly recognizable. She is a strong believer that nothing is quite as it seems, and thata greater reality exists beyond what the human eye can see.In advance of recording their fifth studio album, Leah, along with drummer Will Gorin,sought to dramatically expand the band’s sonic palette. Slothrust put an emphasis onincorporating new production techniques and processes into the established Slothrustsound, resulting in an extraordinary amount of experimental demo recordings, manyelements of which appear themselves on the final record. They leaned into risk-taking–a freedom that comes with having been in a band together for more than 10 years,cultivating new sonic realms for each track. Leah sought to craft unique and calculatedguitar parts instead of continuous bursts of wall-to-wall sound, and in turn delivers whatwill likely be considered a “how-to manual” for guitar playing in the next decade.“On this record, I wanted to be even more precise with the guitar parts as opposed tocreating a guitar palette, because a lot of artists, us included, have made songs thatare so chock-full of guitar that distinct parts becomes a blur,”says Wellbaum. “I enjoymaking that choice when it’s right but it’s the contrast of those things that I like to leaninto. I strive to make the guitar sing like a human voice.”Educated musicians all with backgrounds in classical, jazz and blues, the band’snewest work once again sees Slothrust leaning into improvisation–something that inthe past has lent itself to the infectious energy of their live shows.Parallel Timeline,mixed by industry legend Billy Bush and mastered by Heba Kadry is a masterclass inbalancing tenderness with the fierce guitar work Leah has become known for. With adistinct yet unified sound that blends progressive rock, acoustic and pop, Slothrust hasnever been more confident.The backbone of the 10-track record is Leah’s spiritual journey and presence as aguitar god. Opener “Cranium” features a blues-tinged guitar solo inspired byFunkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” that is so expressive it sings. ““The song addresses absurdways to love someone or something, and feels very on-theme with things not alwaysbeing what they appear at first,” says Wellbaum of the track. “It also touches on tenderness being painful, which I think is very true of me as someone who has spent alot of my life trying to be very tough.”With catchy grunge-rock jaunt “Once More For The Ocean” and the slow-burning ballad“King Arthur’s Seat,” Leah didn’t have access to an instrument when she wrote them.Instead the lyrics, she felt, were channeled through her as she stared into nature,reflecting the idea of oneness that she was searching for. Inspired by both Scotlandand Billy Joel, “King Arthur’s Seat” also “addresses this core human wound that willcome up time and time again for all of us, which is the feeling of being alone andseparate and not really knowingwhat to do with that,” Wellbaum says.With soaring guitar-riffs and Leah’s twinkling harmonies, the ethereal “Waiting” furthercontemplates the idea of wanting to heal yourself but not knowing how. In the track,connecting with nature-in this case, birds–is a balm. Penned with singer DonnaMissal, “The Next Curse” was intended to be a “spell,” but it ended up being a curse.Flanked by thunderous guitars and Leah’s haunting vocals, the blistering rock anthemexplores how even among the world’s destruction we still don’t take the time to takecare of ourselves: “Earth’s gonna set on fire/But still I wait.” Producer Billy Bush’sinfluence shines on this track with burly guitars, Leah’s haunting vocals, and a fantasticdisplay of vocal harmony in a featurefrom Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale. “Billy has thatperfect balance of someone who is just easy to be around, totally gets the joke and isavailable to laugh and chat, but also is incredibly focused,” says Wellbaum. “His earsare magical.”Slothrust shines particularly within its softer moments on the record. “StrangeAstrology” is a stripped-down love song dedicated to Leah’s girlfriend of six years thatmeditates on astrological compatibility. The hymnal “Courtesy” ties into the record’soverall theme of spirituality and desire to feel connected. “I won’t ask you again if yougive it to me/I won’t say it again if you get it the first time,” Leah sings.While the majority of songs were written pre-pandemic, “A Giant Swallow” was not. Thelullaby-like acoustictrack unites the record and serves as a roadmap for Slothrust’sprevious work, referencing lyrics spanning as early as their first record. Recalling thesweet harmonies of “Courtesy” and “Waiting,” Leah reflects on her search for theunified space. “I’ll return to the ocean/Return to the womb again/Inside of theMother/Won’t have any questions then,” she sings with a gentle lilt.-Ilana Kaplan