Los Angeles band Swerve are not exactly re-inventing the wheel here, but at least they are full of the kind of energy American post-punk has sometimes been lacking in recent years. Embellishing a robust attack with superb production from the legendary Adam Lasus, Swerve make some of this seem fresh. Ruin Your Day, out tomorrow, isn't full of new sounds, but it's full of ones that still please.
On numbers like the title cut, "Disassociate", and the harder "Waste My Time", Swerve tap into the kind of college rock power that fueled so many decent bands in the late Eighties and early Nineties. None of this is grunge, mind you, nor is it melodic enough to fall down the power pop chute, but it's fairly energetic, catchy stuff. "End of the World", one of the real highlights here, even blends in non-American influences, with hooks that recall both The Church and any number of Britpop acts.
The vagueness of Swerve's lyrics (a regrettable holdover from the era which their music recalls) is offset by the excellent production by Adam Lasus. He makes this all sound as sharp and bright as possible. The guitars crunch and things remain fairly consistently accessible throughout Ruin Your Day. I think if you heard any one of these songs out of context on AOR radio, you'd like wait to see who the band was, you know?
Ruin Your Day is out tomorrow.
More details on Swerve via their Facebook page.