Swim School - 'Bored'
Edinburgh’s Swim School are at their best on new single ‘Bored’.
It didn’t take long for the Scottish outfit Swim School to establish themselves on the music scene with their unique take on thrashing indie rock teeming with ferocious energy. Fronted by Alice Johson, the band produce fresh and exciting cuts, and their debut EP ‘Volume One’ took the world by storm.
Re-emerging, and with their surprise new single ‘Bored’ in tow, Swim School dives into tongue-in-cheek motifs and explores confidence in the boldest fashion. The new track acts as the gutsier sister of ‘Delirious’ that explores the same themes. Offering narratives that divulge sexism within the music industry, ‘Delirious’ details frontwoman Alice’s personal experience, whereas ‘Bored’ sees her come out stronger in the face of misogyny and fight back those who have shot her down.
Plucked from their sophomore EP ‘Duality’, which was released last May, ‘Bored’ takes pride in boasting scuzzy high-octane guitar lines and thrumming percussive beats, with vocals that, initially mirror those of softer Wolf Alice cuts. The track, however, doesn’t stay soft for long, the band very quickly propel themselves into a rush of demanding punk as Alice lunges into “do I intimidate you?”.
Talking on ‘Duality’ Alice notes, “I saw the quote “Duality is a situation in which two opposite feelings exist at the same time” and that described the EP perfectly. The five songs on the EP channel love and rage. They’re based on experiences that I have gone through at a certain point in my life. The fact that you can feel contrasting feelings at the same time can be confusing and take a toll on you mentally, but I find that writing is the best way to cope with it.”
Darting through genres from upbeat punk to softer lo-fi tracks, Swim School are completely impossible to pin down. ‘Bored’ is the direction Paramore should’ve continued in.
Words by Lana Williams
