Normally you wouldn't call a phone number to listen to a song, but there's a Vancouver band asking you to do that right now.
When you dial 1-778-627-2171 you hear a recorded voice introducing you to the band, and their music.
"Hi, you have reached Slightest Clue," intones the voice on the other end. "We're a local indie band putting out a song next week called 'When You Wake Up.'"
Then you can choose you're own tele-adventure and either listen to the song, learn more about the band, or leave a message for them.
Slightest Clue is an indie rock band somewhere between the energy of Franz Ferdinand or Bloc Party and the fast-paced dreamier Yukon Blond (if you took away their keyboard).
Bucking the trend of pushing a song on social media
The four-piece band is made up of Malcolm McLaren (guitar, vocals), Sean Ries (guitar), Hannah Kruse (bass, vocals), and Nick Sciarretta (drums). Kruse also plays with Sylvie Cox, Ries is with the Aubreys and Sciaretta was part of Christ Alrighty.
Kruse was behind the campaign to drum up support for their new single.
"There's increasing pressure of digital viral moments," she explains. "It's so critical that every single there's a really robust campaign across social media."
Kruse says for most musicians, feeding the viral, social media machine doesn't feel natural, so she decided they'd buck the trend a bit, while still trying to achieve a few goals.
"I was interested in how we could use analog strategies that have a somewhat viral potential."
Given that Slightest Clue's single "When You Wake Up" and another, upcoming single both touch on phone calls, phones seemed appropriate.
Band hopes to build a 'person-to-person' connection with their audience
That's where the posters and phone tree come in, operating in a non-digital space. Kruse, some friends, and a hired professional put up more than 500 posters; most are in Vancouver, but friends and fans helped put them up in other parts of Canada and even parts of the U.S.
The band is hoping the unique advertising strategy will drum up support for the band as they prepare to release a new EP in 2024, as pre-saves of songs have become increasingly important to streaming services.
And while algorithms will decide some things, Kruse still wants to make a "genuine, person-to-person relationship with our audience" for a variety of reasons. They're the ones who support the band, come to shows and get merch.
She notes the band already likes engaging with fans and those supporting them in personal ways, including thank you cards or postcards mailed to DJs or bloggers.
"This is another way we've found to build those relationships and spark new ones," Kruse says of the phone number-covered posters.
The band will be playing a show this Friday, Nov. 10, to celebrate the release of "When You Wake Up" at the Astoria. Tickets are on a sliding scale (right now they're $5, but they'll go up after a certain number are sold to $10, and then $20). Ears and Shimbashi will be opening.
