Shortstraw Return With Genre-Bending New EP Everything In Between

South African indie-rock favourites Shortstraw have officially returned with their brand-new EP, Everything In Between, opening an ambitious new chapter for one of the country’s most distinctive alternative acts. The four-track release serves as the first part of a planned three-part project that will eventually come together as the full-length collection Life, Death and Everything In Between. After nearly two decades of making music, the band has chosen a format that gives each release room to breathe while still contributing to a larger creative story. The EP arrives after the band reintroduced themselves with the heavy alternative-rock single Rubber Arm and the catchy indie-pop track Schrödinger. Together, those releases signalled that Shortstraw were returning without any intention of limiting themselves to one particular sound.

Everything In Between highlights the band’s willingness to move between styles while keeping their identity intact. Frontman Alastair Thomas has explained that the absence of one central theme is actually what connects the record, allowing each song to explore a different part of the band’s musical personality. What The Hell reaches back towards the jangly, acoustic-driven style associated with Shortstraw’s earlier work, giving the track a familiar and intimate quality. Speedboat Accident takes the EP in a very different direction, embracing a heavier stoner-rock feel that has the potential to become a standout moment during the band’s live performances. The contrast between the songs is intentional, creating a release that feels alternative, sentimental, folky and unpredictable without sounding disconnected.

The wider trilogy carries a deeply personal story that developed from major changes in Thomas’s life. Following the death of his father in 2021, Thomas began writing songs that dealt with loss and the idea of death. His wife’s pregnancy then introduced a completely different emotional experience, inspiring songs focused on new life and the changes that come with it. As these songs developed, some did not belong naturally to either of those two extremes, creating a collection centred on everything that exists between life and death. That material ultimately became the foundation for Everything In Between, giving the first EP its place within the larger Life, Death and Everything In Between project.

The recording process also reflects the band’s collaborative approach to songwriting and production. Shortstraw initially took their skeletal song ideas into the practice room, where the members developed and shaped the material together before entering High Sea Studios. Producer and engineer Jacques du Plessis then played a central role in transforming those ideas into finished recordings. Thomas has credited du Plessis with bringing the band’s concepts to life and helping create recordings that sound confident and fully realised. His contribution has allowed the musicians to retain the character of their original ideas while giving the final songs the polish and definition needed for a modern release.

The decision to return with a measured release strategy also comes from a period of significant change for Shortstraw. The demanding TMK project contributed to burnout, while the disruption caused by the pandemic further affected the band’s momentum and creative process. Although the group released Fine Thanks, and You? in 2022, the project did not ultimately feel right to the members. Rather than forcing themselves into another intense album cycle, they have taken a different approach that gives them more space to create and release music at a healthier pace. Everything In Between therefore represents more than a new collection of songs, as it reflects a band that has reassessed how it wants to make and share music.

The three-EP structure also responds to the realities of the modern digital music landscape. With artists constantly expected to produce content and remain visible across multiple platforms, releasing one large album can make it difficult for individual songs to receive the attention they deserve. Shortstraw have instead chosen to divide their wider project into three more manageable releases, allowing each collection to develop its own identity. This approach gives listeners the opportunity to spend time with each set of songs while gradually revealing the larger concept behind Life, Death and Everything In Between. It also gives the band greater flexibility to introduce new material without placing themselves under the pressure of completing one enormous project all at once.

For listeners who have followed Shortstraw throughout their 19-year career, Everything In Between offers a reminder of why the band has remained difficult to categorise. The EP moves comfortably between acoustic indie, alternative rock, indie-pop and heavier territory, yet the songwriting keeps the four tracks connected. Rather than trying to recreate a particular period from their past, the band draws from its history while responding to where its members are now. The result feels personal without becoming overly serious, while the contrasting sounds leave plenty of room for humour, energy and everyday observations. That balance has long been an important part of Shortstraw’s appeal, and it remains clear on this latest release.

Everything In Between marks an important return for Shortstraw and establishes the first piece of a much larger musical project. The EP reflects personal experiences involving grief, family, relationships and the ordinary chaos of daily life, while its varied sound demonstrates that the band still values experimentation. After a difficult period marked by burnout, a pandemic and uncertainty around their previous release, the group appears to have found a more sustainable way forward. The three-part format gives Shortstraw the freedom to develop their ideas gradually while giving fans new music to discover along the way. With Everything In Between now setting the tone, the eventual arrival of Life, Death and Everything In Between promises to bring these different pieces together into a broader portrait of the band’s past, present and evolving creative direction.

Stream Everything In Between HERE.

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