Swedish indie-pop band Like Swimming has just released the first part of their two-part EP, ‘Resistance / Relations’. The EP is an attempt for the band to get all their political frustration out in the first part, ‘Resistance’, and to make room for the ups and downs of personal battles in the second part, ‘Relations’, coming later this year.
Like Swimming has put together a playlist for us, of tracks that have inspired ‘Resistance’.
CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share
Great inspiration for the synth in ‘Strike a Pose’!
Robyn – Who’s That Girl?
Strike the rhythm!
Robyn – Dancing On My Own
That bass gave us the right feeling for ‘Strike a Pose’.
Gang of Youths – Poison Drums & Phoenix – Lisztomania
Both tracks inspired us to change the drums of ‘The Ground’ completely.
Daughter – Smother
Gave us the right feeling of desolation and frustration for ‘Save Me’.
Jennie Abrahamson – Bloodlines
Inspired us to put the vocal up front in ‘Save Me’.
Like Swimming – Lean on
We liked the space we allowed ourselves to have in this one, so we wanted to do it again.
Vi Va Dom – Familjen
Gave us the right dancing moves for ‘Dead but Dancing’
Beck – Girl
Helped us feel ok with letting ‘Dead but Dancing’ stand out from the rest of the songs.
Bob Dylan – Ballad of a Thin Man
The lyrics from this inspired all of ‘Growing’, so much that we had to lend a phrase even.
Royal Teeth – Wild
Those rim shots are why Petter “missed” the snare on ‘Growing’.
Like Swimming – Cover My Eyes
This is a song that we did and liked so much that we wanted to do again, it turned out to be something very different: ‘Fire on the Fields’.
Sounds like: Chvrches, Chrome Sparks, Of Monsters & Men
Self-described “tragic” songstress Sasha is speaking a lyrical frankness in her new single, ‘Ouch!’, written about foreseeing being stung in a relationship.
The single blends unique and interesting soundscapes with sweet pop production and has elements of ‘Pure Imagination’ featured in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Tasty.
Sounds like: Billie Eilish, VÉRITÉ, Rae Morris, The Japanese House
Introducing the new project called Bohnes by Alex DeLeon from the band The Cab.
His new single ‘Raging On A Sunday’ is a frenetic two middle fingers to religion, caught up with an anthemic rock backdrop, glitches of grungy electronica and a retro-inspired, R&B-tipped vocal range.
Caymanian-born, London-based R&B newcomer Maeve shares the striking visuals for her new single ‘Eden’.
Directed by Black Dog Films‘ filmmaker Jade Jackman, choreographed by Liv Lockwood and styled by designer Asai (Dazed 100), the hallucinogenic and bestial video borders between what is real and what is not, conveying a sense of abandonment and isolation found in a toxic relationship.
The song is taken from her debut EP ‘Beasts’, out now.
Katy Tiz has teamed up with esteemed songwriter Ed Drewett on new single, ‘Life’, which has a Bonnie & Clyde context.
Recorded whilst suffering with laryngitis, this is a testament to Katy Tiz’s determination, and the result is a raw and enchanting song that is upfront and honest.
Sounds like: Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor, Aly & AJ, Bonnie McKee
Golden Vessel (aka Max Byrne) returns with ‘Moonstone’, featuring friends Elkkle and Akurei.
The upbeat track once again incorporates Byrne’s signature cross-genre style, and futuristic production.
‘Moonstone’ is inspired by the historical investigation of missing moon rocks from NASA trips into space on Apollo 11. Legend has it that the specimens once brought back to earth in 1969 were distributed across the world in the famous Goodwill Moon Rocks initiative, only to, nearly 30 years later, have mostly vanished or become untraceable.
Sounds like: MØ, Brolin, The National, Gang of Youths, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, REFS
American producer Lincoln Jesser produces indie synth-pop with sky-high aspirations.
Growing up at school, Jesser would often play in jazz sessions during the breaks, but it wasn’t until he listened to The Strokes that his passion for music was spiked.
Moving slowly into the electronic realms of production brings us to Jesser’s release today, called ‘Undone’, which you can listen to below:
Brisbane-based Emerson Leif shares the beautiful ‘Hesitate’, which was co-written with his good friend (and frequent collaborator) Golden Vessel.
Despite a satisfying life at the time of writing ‘Hesitate’, the notion of an elusive state of unhappiness continue to nag at Emerson,
“I found myself feeling very alone and without purpose. I could not accept that we just exist: eat, sleep, work, repeat. We are sold a kind of ‘happiness’ like it’s something we can work towards but what’s on offer is fleeting, if at all… had many questions about life but the greatest question was one of God. Or better yet, one for God. “Are you there?” Honestly, religion just felt so tired and insular. I wanted something tangible. I wanted to find truth. The idea of searching is perhaps most terrifying, because what if one finds nothing.”
This religious undertone can be found in the vocal and guitar loops that have been manipulated to sound like an organ.
Listen below.
Sounds like: Brolin, The National, Gang of Youths, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, REFS
