SWANMEAT are a punky, grungey, new wave band from Brighton England. With little information about who they are or their origin story, I know they had a few songs released prior to their new EP and had played a fair few live shows in the South of England. Their new self titled EP is a brief twelve minutes but it encompasses multiple genres within that time. Although they seem young, their influences stretch between the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s.
There are definite Grunge vibes from the get go with Gluten. The harsh yet somewhat nonsensical lyrics paint a picture of sad young people, quite literally with lyrics such as “don’t you want to be sad like me” and “all my friends want to kill themselves”. When listening through, I can hear heavy influences from NIRVANA, especially in the earlier works from Bleach or Incesticide. I also get hints of THE SEX PISTOLS within the vocal styles, especially as it’s a British band and the Southern British accent of Pippa really rings true throughout.
The next song Strawman is very 90’s to me. It reminds me a little of BLUR in the song’s structure. It has a catchy chorus that makes you want to move, it contrasts with the more spoken word verses. The whole EP has a mix of spoken word and melodic vocals, with a backup up of some more aggressive male voices. It’s a well controlled mix.
Narco, Polo has a heavier and more aggressive approach that completely contrasts the last song The Rake, which is a much slower, softer and more sombre song. For me there was occasional hints of LA DISPUTE due to the sombre nature and use of spoken word combined with melodies.
It’s early days for these guys, but I think they could have a bright future doing this. I appreciate their influences, their message and craft. I can hear their point of view and there’s real passion behind it; it’s raw and emotional and I thought it was a really cool piece.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Amanda Nicholls
Swanmeat is out now.
Find SWANMEAT on Facebook.
