Swan Deep Release New Single on Small Pond Compilation Record
A new release from Swan Deep delivers a deepening approach and soundscape with an alternative rock overtone and a cinematic backbone, all rolled up into this track that feels robust and somewhat intense, but also melodically driven while still bringing a massive Sonic presence to the table.
"On Fire" has such a cool introduction with the drumming being a main point of focus. Bringing the song to a clean build by stopping kick drums and high hats as the cleaner guitars bring the melody and progression.
Soon enough, layers of electric guitars with a heavier distortion overlay the originals, and the tones of those two sets of guitars together make this track really robust and almost full-bodied.
This is a lot of where the intensity comes from, but the song does build into high climactic points where things sort of explode, and those are the sections that really hit hard.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this track is how the vocals are portrayed and delivered. The vocals have this almost brooding sense to them. They are deep-toned and double-tracked, so they come through with a certain kind of thickness that really adds a different texture and tonality to the track itself, but comes through beautifully.
Because of the way the vocals are performed, the entire song has a strange kind of elegance to it. It's something that doesn't take away from the edginess of it, but instead helps it build up by bringing this sort of calm before the storm type of feeling.
Again, the drummer is absolutely key here because the time signature of this track is everything. It is not super outside the box, but it is a bit different. When the song explodes into those climactic parts and the guitars open up more, the drumming changes up a little bit, and more crashes are used than high hats, everything gets more intense, and it all comes crashing.
This was such a cool vibe and aesthetic to deliver because there's so much happening during those moments that you can feel it in your bones. It's just a ton of sonic drive coming at you at once, but there's still a melody there. The progression is still very evident, and that progression itself has a mood to it.
The guitar progression has a sort of sadness behind it. It's a beautiful melody, and this is part of why the song feels sort of vast in its underbelly. That cinematic pole is almost always there, and that is partially because the song is built on certain kinds of emotion. That emotion comes through even in the guitar performances.
Vocals expand and are used as backing instruments halfway through the track. This also helps deliver this robust and boisterous atmosphere that feels almost drifting or dreaming.
Those backing vocals bring a haunting undertone to the track, and it sort of serves almost like a cry out. Again, this is a song that has a lot of emotion going on, and the vocal performance in terms of, especially those backing ones, really delivers a less brooding and more intense set of floating vocals that hover around through the song's ether, giving it more depth and distance.
The mix is also outstanding. There's a lot of attention paid to the details of the tones of the instrumentation, how the vocals would come through, and the mix of this track.
I don't always talk about the mix of a song, but here I think it's very important. The mix of the song gives the whole thing a bigger impact. This is because certain kinds of effects are attitude instruments and vocals, at times that either again come and give them great distance, putting them in the background and using reverb effect to intensify them, or just to wet the instruments up a little bit so that you have a soundscape that surrounds you.
All of this was very well thought out, and by the end of the track, everything is at its highest point. It's all in full swing with gigantic waves of that intense mood and sonic texture that you're able to swim through, even though it has a heaviness to it.
It's almost like it borders on shoegaze. It's not exactly shoegaze, but the elements and aesthetics are there. You can hear little hints of influence from the genre throughout this track, and when you get to the end of it, it's more potent.
This was pretty intense.
Now, this track is released on a compilation record from Small Pond Studios based in Brighton. The full album is called Small Pond Presents: Emerging Volume V.
The record delivers 20 tracks from different bands and artists and is well worth diving into.
Once we learned about the full album and listened to the single, we wanted to have a chat with Swan Deep to find out where this song actually came from and what might be coming next.
So, while you listen to the single and the rest of the album, take a read-through of our interview with Swan Deep below.
TSWS: Let's talk about "On Fire"! This is a full bodied track and had that 90's post-rock feel to it! Where did this song come from?
-So, the track came out of my usual process which is initially writing the song on guitar in my bedroom. Yeh, I wanted to write in a more post punky style for this one and within it express some confusion that I was feeling at the time.
TSWS: I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
-Some of my biggest musical influences have always been people like Massive Attack, Puma Blue, Jeff Buckley, Erykah Badu, Pixies, Gorillaz and many others. Also, whoever is inspiring me locally at the time as well.
TSWS: Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
-We recorded it at Small Pond Studios in the UK in Brighton. we managed to get onto their government funded emerging artist scheme. They made the track possible in this way so I’m really grateful for those guys.
TSWS: What are you performing on this track?
-I’m performing guitars and vocals and then I have my band playing the rest of the instrumentation. George is playing bass, Esme is on drums, and Rollain is doing some backing vocals in the breakdown. Sarah was our producer for the session and she did an amazing job as well.
TSWS: How did this all start for you as an artist?
-I started wanting to be an artist and to write songs when I was about 16. That’s when I started hearing music that still inspires me today. My friends and relationships at the time put me on to stuff that really inspired me like Bowie, The Velvet Underground a lot of hip-hop, a lot of jazz. And yeah, I just kept doing it since then.
TSWS: Are you performing live right now?
-I’m just doing some acoustic and stripped back shows at the moment but next year me and the band will be playing some shows again.
TSWS: Now that this is out, what's next for you as a band?
-As a band, we will be playing some shows alongside the recordings that will be coming out. Our next headline will be in April to launch a new track.
TSWS: Who's in your headphones right now?
-Right now, Mk.gee, Fontaines D.C, MF Doom, Buena Vista Social Club, so many I dunno
TSWS: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?
-Um, Fiery music
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
-I dunno if I have fans, but if you like the music then there’s lots more to come!
