There is something gloriously unserious about Freak Slug. That is, until the songs suddenly hit you with unexpected emotional force. The Manchester project of multidisciplinary artist Xenya Genovese moves through a world of fuzzy alt-rock, dreamy electronics, trip-hop grooves and distorted pop hooks with the confidence of someone equally obsessed with ‘90s cult bands and modern internet-era chaos. On the debut album “I Blow Out Big Candles”, Genovese transforms those influences into something messy, playful, seductive and strangely moving. Part of what makes Freak Slug so compelling is the constant tension between irony and sincerity. One moment the songs feel bratty, surreal and tongue-in-cheek, the next they open into vulnerable love songs filled with longing and queer desire. Somewhere between indie sleaze, bedroom-pop intimacy and nocturnal alternative rock, Freak Slug has quietly built one of the most addictive musical worlds to emerge from the UK underground in recent years. This summer, Freak Slug plays Stay Out West.