With a post-punk moodiness, hip-hop-style beats, and a bit of post-hardcore spirit, Baltimore act SWOLL are an excitingly unique blend that come together as something that flirts with the darkness and the light at the same time. Today, the band are debuting “Scar,” the first single from their upcoming album, Avoid Attach. While the song is said to be reminiscent of Bjork-meets-Fugazi, the band also pulled influence from underground acts like Antelope and their successors Puff Pieces, particularly Puff Pieces’ album Bland in D.C.
“I directly take lyrics from Puff Pieces in this song,” explains SWOLL frontman Matt Dowling. “The two lyrics, which are also their song titles, are ‘Pointless People’ and ‘Women and Men with Guns.’ I think I went there simply because I felt like I was ripping off Puff Pieces sonically while writing the song. So I figured, ‘Why not take it all the way and use some Puff Pieces lyrics, provided I can get prior approval?’ (which I did, don’t worry!)
“I wrote the song probably two years ago, and now that it’s coming out, I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is timely.’ Puff Pieces were astoundingly accurate at predicting the future while writing songs from 2013-2016. The current time is simply a labored continuation of what they were concerned about while creating those songs. So ‘Scar’ is basically an homage to Puff Pieces’ astute ability to cut right to the center of it all with simple, dancey punk rock music.”
Check out the video below.
Avoid Attach is out September 26, and preorders will be available on Bandcamp. Follow SWOLL on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
