swim school - 'outside'
swim school dive deeper into their new-found grunge-pop surroundings with their latest single ‘outside’, a perfect moody accompaniment to a rain-soaked trip to the local beer garden.
Not quite as menacing as their former single ‘Let Me Inside Your Head,’ the Edinburgh quartet’s new offering instead opts for a less urgent and melodic Pixies vibe. This makes for an altogether smoother voyage more aligned to their earlier singles like ‘Sway’ or ‘Too Young To Know,’ certainly in terms of singer Alice Johnson’s crisp vocal delivery.
The band are firing on all cylinders here with new recruit Billy McMahon slotting in seamlessly by providing some powerhouse drumming alongside a driving bassline from Matt Mitchell which lurks under the surface. The guitar work shared by Johnson and Lewis Bunting is the real triumph on ‘Outside’ as they tangle together to create a fuzz-fuelled dream which floats around the mind long after the plug’s been pulled on the song.
Two tracks into their refined sound, it’s a style tweak that seems to be paying dividends for the four-piece. Whilst noticeably different, it’s not a million nautical miles away from their earlier material to the point of feeling forced or drastic. Instead, it’s more of an expansion which offers both band and fans a bigger playing field (or swimming pool if I’ve not quite drowned myself in water puns) to enjoy.
Words by Richard Cobb