FEATURE: Spotlight: swim school — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

swim school

__________

THERE is quite a bit…

to unpack and explore when it comes to swim school. One band that are bound to be big names in 2024, I have only recently discovered their brilliance. The trio make such phenomenal music that sort of blends in some '90s sounds and older touches with something fresh, vibrant, urgent and nuanced. A stunning cocktail that is a big reason as to why they are being heralded and championed as ones to watch. They have been on the scene a while now but, as a band who were making their early steps during the pandemic, they have really started to get into focus and the spotlight this past year or so. One change is that they are now a trio after starting their life as a quartet. I cannot really include old promotional photos for that reason (I would recommend checking out their cover version of a brilliant Deacon Blue song from a while back). Before carrying on, here is some more detail regarding the incredible and must-hear swim school:

“Based in Edinburgh, Swim School are a 3 piece, indie-pop band made up of Alice Johnson (Vocals/Guitar), Lewis Bunting (Guitar) and Matt Mitchell (Bass). Announced in 2019, but having originally formed at the end of 2018, Swim School already host an eclectic collection of songs featuring the inspired tones of The Cure, Wolf Alice and The Night Café.

They dived into Scotland’s burgeoning indie scene with their debut single ‘sway’ which turned heads and attracted the attention of both Vic Galloway and Janice Forsyth at BBC Radio Scotland, Tenement TV, Record of the Day, The Sun Newspaper and Jim Gellatly at Amazing Radio. Since then Swim School have released the singles ‘take you there’ and ‘too young to know’ which have been equally accredited”.

I am interested in this interview, as Alice Johnson discussed swim school’s duality E.P. She was also revealing how she experienced misogyny at gigs. How there still is this poisonous attitudes towards women. DORK got more insight from an amazing lead and one of the most captivating voices in new music. Part of a band who are going to have a very busy and successful year ahead:

“You’ve just released your new single ‘Delirious’, about misogyny – what is it that drew you to putting those experiences into a song?

We had a busy festival season last year, so we were constantly working with new sound engineers and people who work in music, and I had more bad experiences than good. I encountered a lot of sexism, rude comments and lack of respect from the men we worked with. As a woman in the music industry, I have experienced misogyny before but never so consistently over a short space of time.
When we would show up for festivals, I would feel so excited yet so anxious about how I was going to be treated each time. Constantly being disrespected and talked down to started to have an effect on me – it got to the point in which I felt like I wasn’t good enough.
The turning point was when I was in the hotel room with the boys after one of our festival sets and just feeling so angry – I’d had enough. I knew that I deserved to be on that stage as much as the boys in my band, so I said to them, “I want to write a really angry, heavy song about misogyny so I can channel all my anger into it. I also want to put my guitar down and just be on the microphone, as that would be a statement.” And, of course, they were keen, so we started writing when we got back to Scotland the next day.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rory Barnes

Was it important for you to tackle the issue head-on? Now at least you have something to play in soundcheck if someone is being a dick, right?

For me, it is so important to tackle these issues that affect me because I know that they affect others. There is something comforting in hearing that someone else is and has gone through what you are going through. I truly believe that sharing your experiences can help others overcome similar experiences. When it comes to sexism and misogyny, there is no easy way to avoid it. I noticed at times, these men would come up to me when the boys weren’t close so they could make their comments whilst I’m alone and in a vulnerable situation. It is never a nice experience; at first, you feel like crying, then you have this anger, but also the moment’s passed, so there’s not much you can do. The sad thing is that it felt like a routine for me – but now I have a song to show for it and to show that they will never stop me from doing what I love.
It’s funny because now if we ever have a bad experience with a sound engineer during soundcheck, I turn to the boys and say that, “‘Delirious’ is going to go off tonight”. A positive in getting pissed off before playing that song live is that it makes the performance even more energetic and angry – it feels therapeutic. It also feels good to take a bad experience and channel it into something productive rather than letting it destroy you and your confidence.

Are there any songs by other artists that tackle similar issues that have resonated with you?

I actually think writing ‘Delirious’ was the first time I didn’t have a song that I wanted to use as reference – all I knew is that I wanted big guitars, big drums and heavy synths. The fact I had all this anger built up already meant we wrote the song so quickly. I wrote all the lyrics in the space of 10 minutes – they came so naturally.
One song that I could have taken inspiration from would be ‘Rebel Girl’ by Bikini Kill when it comes to the song’s energy, anger and passion. The song is about the support and inspiration you feel from other women, and that is an aspect I want to include in the music we write.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rory Barnes

It’s from your new EP, ‘Duality’ – how long have you been working on it for? What was the timeline like?

I actually wrote the chords and lyrics to our first single from the EP, ‘Kill You’, in my bedroom last February. I showed it to the boys, and they loved it, so we finished writing it together with the plan to release it as a single. We then started writing more songs, and before we knew it, we had a body of work that we loved, so we decided to postpone the release of ‘kill you’ and record the EP.
We created it with producer Iain Berryman – we can’t put into words how amazing and talented Iain is. He brought out a new side of swim school’s sound, and we can’t thank him enough. We recorded the whole EP in London which felt so surreal for us and felt like a massive step up – we honestly loved every second of the experience, and now we can’t wait for it to be out.

You’ve got two angry songs and two love songs on the EP Which do you find easier to write?

Definitely the angry ones. ‘Kill You’ was the first love song I had ever written, and then I wrote ‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ after. Both these love songs share the aspect of feeling vulnerable whilst being and falling in love, yet I feel so vulnerable releasing songs about being vulnerable. I get embarrassed writing about love songs, yet I find it so easy to write about mental health – I’m not sure why, haha”.

I will come to some more detail and depth regarding duality. First, that METAL interview that I mentioned. It is a fascinating discussion. Against, that discussion around misogyny and sexism cropped back up. Something important to tackle in music. It is also something more men in the industry should speak up against. It is being mainly left to women to highlight:

“Congratulations on your recent releases – your second EP, Duality and newest single, Bored. How has it been since these songs dropped?

It’s been crazy! We really pushed ourselves in the studio and worked hard to get these songs to sound the way we envisioned them. We worked with Iain Berryman, who is so insanely talented, and he brought out a new confident side to Swim School which you can hear in the EP.

Bored was released as a surprise single. What about the song made you want to keep it a secret until its release?

The EP was basically finished, we went into a songwriting session with Bored and fell in love with its meaning and sound. After talking with management and our label, we decided to add it onto the EP, and I’m so glad we did!

PHOTO CREDIT: Rory Barnes

Furthermore, it was released about two weeks after Duality was. This seems so soon to be putting out new music after the release of an EP. Why did you choose to do this instead of including Bored in the initial EP?

So Bored is technically part of Duality, but we liked the surprise aspect of putting it out after we released the EP. As a band we like to keep things interesting and keep our fans on their toes, which is why our songs never sound the same. We love changing up sound and bending the rules, we never want to be just one genre.

Do you think the later release of Bored took away from people to give the proper time to appreciate Duality?

No, not at all. Like I said previously, it keeps everything exciting. Our fan base has grown so much this year, and they have been so supportive that we thought why not, they deserve another song. I personally think it went down so well with the fans.

Bored is somewhat of a song that builds upon ideas talked about in the song Delirious, one of the tracks in Duality. There’s a clear correlation between the single and the EP. Could you tell us more about it?

Our songs represent events that have happened in our lives over the year. Delirious was so relatable to so many of our fans that it actually empowered me to continue to stand up against misogyny and sexism. With Bored, I wanted it to have a more positive outlook on the situation. I wanted it to be all about confidence and empowerment.

One motivation for your music is the inner-industry misogyny. Are there specific instances or social patterns that you’d like to share that inform the kind of music you create in response to this injustice?

The main inspiration behind Delirious was the constant sexism I encountered from male sound engineers during festival season last year. Although it’s mainly a middle finger up to sound engineers, to me, it has evolved to be about misogyny and sexism in general, not just the music scene. When I’m writing lyrics, I try to be direct with the subject, but also not too detailed, so the listener can relate to the lyrics with their own personal experiences.

Your style is obviously very indie-infused and pop-influenced. Additionally, it seems somewhat anger-driven, rightfully so. From your first EP to now, you are strongly leaning into that indie pop, punk rock type feel. How would you describe your style? And how do you see it evolving further as you continue to create?

We are definitely less pop-influenced than when we first started the band. In our early stuff you can hear that heavier side to us whether that’s in the middle section of Sway or the intro of Too Young to Know. I think it’s always been within us, and we have found that confidence to create this sound we love. For me personally, I found my voice through certain experiences in my life, and I feel confident enough to write about them and perform them, and that’s probably why they are anger-driven.

How do you see the music you like inform your own approach to songwriting?

The reason our sound as a band is so diverse is that we each have our own personal music tastes and preferences, but we also share the love for so many bands. This means when we are writing we can agree on what we love, yet bring our own unique elements to the songs”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rory Barnes

Going to another DORK feature, and we got a rundown and exploration of duality from swim school. Giving us the stories behind the songs. There is no doubt that they are going to conquer loads of incredible stages next year:

“I saw the quote, “Duality is a situation in which two opposite feelings exist at the same time”, and that described the EP perfectly. The songs are based on experiences that I have gone through. The fact that you can feel contrasting feelings at the same time can be confusing and take its toll on you mentally, but I find that writing is the best way to cope with it.

KILL YOU

‘Kill You’ is about being in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone. It’s about the confidence you feel when you are in a good relationship, and you feel comfortable enough to show your vulnerability. I didn’t want it to be your stereotypical love song either, which is why I chose the title ‘Kill You’ – it almost contradicts what the song is about.

DELIRIOUS

2022 was our busiest year yet as a band as we travelled the whole of the UK playing new venues, cities and festivals. Playing all of these gigs meant we were constantly meeting and working with new sound engineers, but not every encounter was good. I experienced a lot of sexism; I was constantly disrespected and patronized, which led to me feeling like I wasn’t good enough. Instead of letting it get to me, I decided to write ‘Delirious’ and reminded myself that insecurities are the root of sexism.

BORED

‘Bored’ is a follow-up to ‘Delirious’ – the way I see it is that ‘Delirious’ is talking about experiencing sexism, and ‘Bored’ is what I’ve learnt and the confidence I found when I finally started standing up for myself. It’s a powerful song which is a middle-finger to others who don’t support you and talk behind your back. Again, the song is very much tongue-in-cheek lyrics, making something positive out of the negative.

DON’T LEAVE ME BEHIND

We wanted to write our own version of those cheesy, early 90s love songs, and I think we nailed it. It contains a lot of synth, which gives that floaty, loved-up feeling. The gang vocals at the end is one of my favourite parts of the song as it adds to that 90s feel.

‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ is the emotions you feel when you meet someone you have a genuine connection with, but you don’t know where you stand with them. You think that they feel the same as you, yet you aren’t sure, and your mind can’t stop thinking about them.

OVER NOW

‘Over Now’ is about someone toxic finally leaving your life and them not having a hold over you anymore. The person promised you the world but ended up treating you badly. It’s about telling them that you finally see them for who they really are, that you no longer need them and how much better you are now.

The repetition of the words “it’s over now” is you not believing that it’s really over, and you are trying to convince yourself by saying it over and over. The song ends with the same dynamic it started with – it starts soft and with just vocal and guitar and ends with just the vocal too. The repetition gets harsher and anger as it builds, yet it comes down to just one vocal at the end, representing that alone feeling after the toxic person has left. The song goes through a lot of different emotions- anger, relief, sadness and happiness”.

There are plenty of massively positive reviews for duality. Here is DORK giving their views. It is one of the best E.P.s of this year for sure. There is a review from Atwood Magazine that I want to bring in before getting to some new buzz and celebration for an amazing band. If they are not on your radar then they really should be. I really love what they are putting out:

“Swim school, the Edinburgh hailing trio consisting of frontwoman Alice Johnson, guitarist Lewis Bunting, and drummer Billy McMahon, recently released their third EP, titled duality.

And it is honestly genius, as it works to dissect themes of love and life in four songs. What might be the most genius thing about this EP is that while it is a dip into an utterly dreamy landscape exploring love and life, the collection holds two anger driven songs and two more lighthearted tracks. Splitting the album perfectly and living up to its namesake.

Leading off the EP is “kill you,” and with Alice Johnson’s angelic vocals paired with the atmosphere generated by the backing instruments, this little tune envelopes you in a safety blanket. With a bright twinkling sound and large spacious guitars ebbing and flowing behind and around Johnson’s vocals the landscape story that is told in this song is utterly beautiful.

Looking at the lyrics, this track tells a story about the security of knowing that you have someone to grow old with no matter what life throws at you, “Ooh, I wanna have you with me / When days are old, our looks have faded / If you’re not there, well, I’ll be waiting.” It is lovey-dovey in the best way, shedding a positive light on the prospect of growing old with someone you hold dear. Additionally it may be noted that in following the theme of duality, the band juxtaposes violence with kindness as the song states in the first verse, “And if you were to go and leave me on my own / I think I’d kill you in the nicest way I could”.

I am going to end by, once more, returning to DORK. They are huge fans and supporters of swim school. No surprise they just inducted them into their Hype List 2024. This is their picks for artists set to dominate next year. It is clear that swim school are going to be among the most exciting and promising groups making big steps throughout 2024:

“How do you even begin to describe the year that Swim School have had? Support slots for Pixies, Lovejoy and Inhaler, slammed-out festival tents, releasing one of the best EPs of the year in ‘Duality’ – and all while working day jobs. Their year is far from done, too, as they take to the road again in December with The Amazons across the UK. Guitarist Lewis Bunting is chomping at the bit to get out there. “Their first album was so important for me musically, and we’re getting to go to a whole load of places we’ve never been before, so I can’t wait!”

Swim School aren’t the first band to work multiple jobs while trying to find time to write and play live, but it’s hard to think of anyone working as hard as them right now. “We get back home mid-December; we’ll probably take a few days off then be back in the studio,” levels frontwoman Alice Johnson. “It’s the Hannah Montana lifestyle,” she jokes. “We don’t care about making millions; we just do it for the love of music, and if we can do that full-time, then that’s the dream, really”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Equi

There are so many signs that their gruelling schedule is paying off, especially with regard to the band’s confidence in their ability and their trajectory. Not only have they personally been through a rollercoaster of a twelve months, but they’ve had to put up with a lot of external pressures that they frankly wouldn’t get if they had a male lead singer, particularly when it comes to comparisons with other female-led bands. “I get less of it now,” Alice reveals, “but it’s like women can’t be original or talented in their own right. It’s just such lazy misogyny, it’s like, ‘Oh, you must be inspired by them because she’s a woman’.” The fact that these comparisons are dying off, though, shows that Swim School are now icons in their own right.

Confidence is oozing from this band, more so now than at any other time in their history and it’s reflected in both their writing and live shows. 2024 promises another new body of work, their fourth multi-song release in as many years, but this one brings with it a real sense of ownership and self-assuredness that can only spell great things for the new year.

Struggling to not give too much away, Alice teases that “it’s more inspired by 90s shoegaze. It’s more energetic, heavier, more mature, and more genuine.” Lewis agrees, adding: “It’s just us saying what we want, the way we want to do it. It’s the music we’ve always wanted to release.”

“We don’t want to be the next ‘insert female-fronted band here’. We want to be the first Swim School.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Equi

Their newest work will not only feature a super personal, stripped-back moment but also harks back to the band’s roots by re-releasing an earlier track. “We went into the studio when we originally released the song and weren’t comfortable enough to say ‘no’ to producers. But now, we’re using the original room record, so it’s the way it’s supposed to sound.” Taking their cues from Alice’s long-time idol, Taylor Swift, they’re not only taking charge of their own future, but they’re also entering their superstar era.

Outside of the studio, their nonstop live schedule will kick back into top gear, with a UK headline tour on the cards. “We’d love to get back over to Europe. We had so much fun over there, and of course, we’re manifesting Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds!” says Alice. Festival season this year gave the band a host of “pinch me moments”, not least making a main stage debut at Glasgow’s TRNSMT Festival, with their family and friends in the front witnessing them take the leap into the upper echelons of today’s immensely exciting guitar-rock scene. “It’s so hard to imagine what’s next. Everything’s so good already; how can it get better?”

So, basically, 2024 is going to be another huge year for Swim School. Alice knows that “all my lyrics are really depressing”, but at the band’s heart is a genuine love for what they do and for each other, which allows them to be bold, brash, and brilliant.

“We don’t want to be the next ‘insert female-fronted band here’. We want to be the first Swim School.” If 2023 was the confidence boost Swim School needed to climb up to the high board, then 2024 will be the year they dive off it into stardom”.

They raise interesting points regarding gender. It does seem like a lot of people mentioned ‘female-fronted acts’ like it is tokenism. A novelty. Something special. As they say: they just want to be a band, without gender being the issue. It is important to highlight, though, that they are fronted by Alice Johnson, as festivals still struggle to include enough women. So too do radio playlists. For that reason, then there does need to be focus around the fact that there are great bands led by amazing women. In all other senses, swim school should be highlighted because they are a brilliant and tight group making the best music you’ll hear. It will be an exciting year for them coming up. After a stellar 2023, they will have some time to recharge before heading back onto the road. Out into the crowds next year. Summer festivals, new music and so much to look forward to. If you have not discovered this amazing Edinburgh trio, then do go and investigate further. The brilliant duality is a wonderful E.P. that everyone needs to hear. No doubting the fact that swim school are on their way to becoming legends. Nothing is going to stop that. A terrific and hugely talented young band that…