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Apr 26, 2024 By Mark Moody Photography by Jay Martin

Today, Dallas-based Chicano solo artist Slow Joy (aka Esteban Flores) is releasing the second single, “King Cowboy,” from his upcoming EP Mi Amigo Slow Joy. “King Cowboy” was preceded by the EP’s first single, “Pulling Teeth,” which was released on March 14. The EP was recorded at New Jersey’s Barbershop Studios and was produced by Mike Sapone (Oso Oso, Taking Back Sunday). Mi Amigo Slow Joy will be available via all streaming services on its June 7th release date. Flores’ previous EP, Sunflower, was also released by Mick Music in 2022.

Flores’ prior work was more directly emo leaning, but Mi Amigo Slow Joy finds the project branching out with a wider array of sounds and styles. Flores credits Sapone for pushing him down new creative paths. In the EP’s press release Flores shares, “I’m such a creature of habit when it comes to creative things, that I’ll just keep reproducing the same thing in the same room. I never had the time to experiment in a nice studio.” Sunflower focused on the grieving and healing process in the aftermath of his mother’s passing, while Mi Amigo Slow Joy is more inwardly focused.

“King Cowboy” is a tongue in cheek doubling down on the concept of the macho mystique of the classic icon of the American West. “The concept of a brash cowboy doing his best to convince the listener he’s the king of all cowboys while living a mundane life felt perfect,” Flores says. “I wrote the song in my living room and it was one of those rare moments where the music and lyrics came together at the same time.”

Though muted by layers of fuzzed out guitars, the song’s verses paint a bleak view of relationship dynamics. “Let’s raise some kids that hate their lives” is followed shortly thereafter by “drift apart until we die.” But given Flores’ love of the ironic, he follows each of these downcast thoughts with the chest bumping brag of being the best of the best in the shouted choruses. The song starts with a gentle thrum, but quickly forms into a melodic line that then blossoms into a boomy alt-rock anthem. Flores plays all of the instruments on the song with the exception of drums under the helm of Travis Haile. And the song’s outro was conceived by Sapone. “The end part is a sick ass delay trail that Mike put on the vocals. When we heard it in the studio we lost our minds,” Flores says.

The EP’s title, Mi Amigo Slow Joy, is both a nod to his Mexican-American heritage and Flores’ view of his musical project. “The days of rock star worship are over. Every person who listens to my music or comes to a show of mine would probably be a friend if we met in a different context,” Flores explains. The accompanying single shot lyric video was shot on a ranch in neighboring Oklahoma. The video was directed by Jay Martin and shot by Thomas Blanks. Flores sings the words to “King Cowboy” while gradually increasing his running pace as the song builds.

Though Mi Amigo Slow Joy isn’t out until June, Flores, like a king, is already back in the studio with Sapone working on his full-length debut LP.

Mi Amigo Slow Joy tracklist:

1. 4U

2. Pulling Teeth

3. King Cowboy

4. Lay Me Out, I’m Out of My Mind