There's a stateliness to the new Swansea Sound single that made me think of David Bowie and pretty much all the bands Noel Gallagher cribbed from when he was starting Oasis. It's a big tune -- nearly an anthem! -- and it's wonderful. The video is fun too.
Hue Williams (The Pooh Sticks), Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (Heavenly, The Catenary Wires, etc.), and Ian Button (Death in Vegas, Wreckless Eric) came together in lockdown and made a fairly wonderful record back in 2021. So I'm thrilled they're back. Their change in direction on this new single isn't so much a stylistic shift as it is an embellishment of their indie-pop chops; there's no shame in being an indie band, and that's worth remembering. This cut, smart and affirmative, is full of the sort of pleasures things like "Common People" had; it's Big, but still true to its indie-rock bonafides.
There will be 3 physical copies of this single produced, with one given away via raffle at the band's gig at The Lexington on June 30, one given to a random pre-orderer of the album on Bandcamp, and the third given away at the album launch at Rough Trade East on September 9. So, pre-order Twentieth Century by Swansea Sound now, and, of course, "Keep your head on!"
More details on the adventures of Swansea Sound via the band's Bandcamp page, or Skep Wax Records.
[Photo: Swansea Sound / Skep Wax]