SWIM DEEP - SINGLE REVIEW

Swim Deep - King City (RCA Victor/Chess Club Records) 
Swim Deep - King City

Release Date: 29/06/13

A while back I got my first taste of Swim Deep and, much like my first taste of cider, I was instantly hooked. So, when this little beauty landed in my inbox I must confess to certain level of excitement, anticipation and expectation. The Birmingham quartet simply have that je ne sais quoi that only comes along once in a while in bands that, sadly, seem to burn bright for a while before fading just as fast. Like a holiday romance that you'll never forget or the best weekend of the summer, perfect while it lasts but destined to be short lived. Now, I'm not saying that Swim Deep won't have a long and fruitful career but theirs is the kind of genius that can only have arisen via a pact with the Devil himself so a fiery end must surely await.

Anyhow, the music, let's talk about the music. For four young guys, Swim Deep make an incredible well developed sound that is part Charlatans, part Arcade Fire, part New Order and part Sonic Youth (who wouldn't love that combinations!?!). 'King City' is a blissed out, summery-vibed road trip of a song with a rolling bass line and a melody that is carried by the 'whoo-hoos' of the backing vocals. "With the sun on my back it's a nice day, I will never choose any other way" is such a beautifully simple chorus lyric but it stirs up memories of those halcyon summer days in your youth (God I sound old) when you've got your friends around you, the sun is out, the girls are looking beautiful and you have just the right combination of confidence and bravado to think that you stand a chance with any one of them despite your normal awkwardness in social situations. To me, a great band can create emotions with their music and make you pine for moments in your past the probably never even happened. Swim Deep can do that and, on that basis, I am gagging to hear the debut album which is due out this summer.


Comments