With the energy and sound of a full four-piece band, Carly Comando & Tom Patterson create unapologetic, heavy pop tracks that showcase their years of experience and punk influences. "Hold On To Why," the B Side from Slingshot Dakota's 2019 release Heavy Banding, holds true to their style of distorted keyboards and bombastic drums. Although the pandemic has made the emotion behind the lyric “I don’t want to die holding on to why” that much more urgent, Carly Comando wrote the song in 2017 during a time where life felt very stagnant. Their 2019 album Heavy Banding (Community Records) covers several themes with a main focus on Slingshot Dakota’s professional frustrations in music, friendship and the heartache that can come with it, and family. The band saw the album as a moment to express their impenitent truth, like in the track “Louder,” an impactful anthem of synths, voices, and beats that use deep emotions to express the feeling of getting lost in the boys’ club that is the music industry. There’s also album standout “Casino Night,” a song that would please fans of both Carly Rae Jepsen and Julien Baker with its soothing gospel organ and a tense backbeat slowly erupting into a vibrant confessional. A mid-tempo “Thank U, Next” for adult friendships, “Casino Night” ultimately mourns a deeply personal betrayal with gratitude and grace. It’s proof enough that Slingshot Dakota is hell bent on world domination, one exhilarating anthem at a time.