“Mothers”- Swim Deep (album review)

Two words. Swim. Deep. They’re back with a new record, Mothers, which is everything you could expect (and more) from the Birmingham lads. It’s their first album since 2013’s “Where the Heaven Are We” and it’s their second record to date. Mothers was released on the 2nd October on Chess Club Records. I admit, I was sceptical about it after the pre album release singles (like “To My Brother”) seemed to stray away from their older sounds. I’ve seen Swim Deep four times and I’ve loved seeing their sound evolve. I’m lucky enough to be seeing them on later on in the month, at Concorde 2 in Brighton. I also saw (and met them) at an acoustic album release show at Banquet Records last Thursday (which I will hopefully review).

What strikes me about the album is immediately how different the sound is from the band’s older material. I think it creates a slightly more mature and sophisticated vibe than some of their older material whilst it still remains cool and current.

Songs like “Laniakea” are completely different to other (and older) Swim Deep material. It’s infuriatingly catchy and you’ll be singing “all the mothers and the brothers they all sing out” all day. I love how the music seems somewhat dream like and perhaps even trippy. It’s joyous and full of hope- much like Green Conduit. Green Conduit was written about the hope given to Austin Williams (lead singer) after his own father told him that he saw leprechaun in his garden after gardening. I love how the song starts off (and is mostly throughout) acoustic but builds up.

Songs like Namaste are not too dissimilar to some of their older songs. Namaste is my favourite song on the album. It’s upbeat and catchy. It sounds like heavenly 80’s pop and uses synthy sounds- much like Grand Affection.

“To My Brother” was the first single released from the album. Initially I was unsure about it as it was different from their other material. But after listening to it a lot over the last few months I think that it’s extremely catchy and current. It uses synthy sounds intertwined with electric guitars and drums all whilst Williams’ vocals bind the song together perfectly.

The album concludes with Fueiho Boogie- an eight-and-a-half minute track. It’s madly brilliant. The music is frantically built up into an instrumental nearly lasting 5 minutes and it is quite electronic. Fueiho Boogie was inspired by the band’s trip to Japan and finding out that there was a law (“Fueiho”) which made dancing in clubs illegal.

My favourite songs on the album are “To My Brother”, “Namaste”, “Lanikea” and “Heavenly Moment” although the whole album is brilliant and exciting. It’s a new, 80s influenced sound which makes the songs interesting to listen to whilst still maintaining similar, classic Swim Deep properties.  The band have been reinvented and have re imagined themselves, making them seem more magical than ever. I can’t wait to see them later on in the month playing songs off this record.

Indeed my own mother has seen Swim Deep (at Reading 2015) and we’ve been listening to the album a lot in the car since it’s release. “I can’t stop imagining him with his maracas!” is all she had to add.