Indie-pop band Swim Deep have worked alongside Submarine Cat Records to release new single, ‘Hard To Come Back’. The announcement of the single’s release followed the band unveiling a set of two intimate shows to take place next March.
Hailing from Birmingham, Swim Deep is comprised of frontman Austin Williams, Cavin McCarthy on bass, Robbie Wood on guitar, James Balmont on keyboards and Thomas Fiquet on drums. With four studio albums, ‘Where the Heavens Are We’ (2013), ‘Mothers’ (2015), ‘Emerald Classics’ (2019) and most recently ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’ (2024), Swim Deep have experimented sonically within indie-pop throughout the years before settling on an artistry which is ethereally mature and thought-provoking.
Their latest album ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’ proves just that, featuring contributions from Bill Ryder-Jones, who produced the album and allowed Swim Deep to portray their most personal selves to listeners. When speaking with Dork, frontman Austin Williams recalled the experience of working with Ryder-Jones, stating: “It felt like we were all playing and gelling together, and we all had this shared vision. Bill Ryder-Jones was a massive, massive part of that. He brought out the best in us, in every single member. I don’t think anyone has felt they’ve been as good as a musician as they were recording that album”.
Ryder-Jone’s production contributions have been paramount to the sonic development of Swim Deep during this latest album. So much so, that Ryder-Jones features on their latest single ‘Hard To Come Back’ and will be present during their two intimate shows next year.
The single ‘Hard To Come Back’ is rightfully tender, showcasing dreamy instrumentation alongside a delicate vocal from Williams. The track exhibits a hint of hopefulness, but also a realism of the necessity to confront an emotion, experience or situation. Williams revealed in the single’s press release that: “‘Hard To Come Back’ came about during a turning point, full of grey clouds and a peeping light”, from accompanying a friend to their first AA meeting and supporting them head-on, after almost losing a friend to addiction in his early 20s. To which, Williams’ perspective in the track showcases the tendency for individuals to typically and “naïve[ly] prance around the truth of that experience”.
The ‘How Many Love Songs Have Died In Vegas?’ band are utilising their ethereal tracks embedded with personal themes of love and longing to create an intimate sonic space between themselves and their listeners. This will continue in their two upcoming shows: ‘An Evening With Swim Deep’, featuring Bill Ryder-Jones. The first show will take place March 6 at Night & Day in Manchester and the other on March 7 at St Pancras Old Church in London. Both shows have a capacity of less than 500, attendees will be given a close and personal experience with Swim Deep as they delve into their most personal and thought-provoking tracks within atmospheric venues. Tickets to the intimate shows can be found here.
