Putting paid to the idea that any of these folks are simply twee legends, the new album from Swansea Sound affirms yet again the vitality and variety of the music of these five musicians. Hue Williams (The Pooh Sticks), Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, The Catenary Wires), Bob Collins (The Dentists, The Treasures of Mexico), and Ian Button (Death in Vegas, Louis Philippe, Pete Astor, and Papernut Cambridge) have pooled their forces and delivered a really invigorating record in Twentieth Century, out this Friday via Skep Wax.
The pointed and sharp lyrics of the slow-burn of early single "Keep Your Head On" give a hint as to the sound this time around, on Swansea Sound album two. While their fine debut nearly two years ago was full of life, this one is more complex, with variations in genre experiments pushing the buttons of those who'd pegged any of these players to one style. There's a bit of Buzzcocks, for example, in "Click It and Pay", and "I Don't Like Men in Uniform", a Pulp-y number, has instrumental swells that bring a whole lot of heft, enough that you can sort of get lost in the rush of the rock-and-roll and maybe not listen to the acerbic lyrics. But you should, of course. The title cut to Twentieth Century is a rallying cry, an anthem about "fighting the powers that be" though perhaps starting with those who'd define what music sells and who gets to sell out. Hue and crew let this one build up a real head of steam, and part of me plays this and thinks back to an Eighties where indie charts were populated by bands like The Monochrome Set and Microdisney. Given the pedigrees of those involved, it's hard to hear this and not think that it's the loud declaration of all the best of the DIY set, sung by those who've been singing it for so long.
Bold intentions or not, all of Twentieth Century signals a stylistic shift or two for this lot. The back-and-forth of "Markin' It Down" provides an avenue for some clever lyrics which say a bit about the struggle to get heard, play gigs, and make records. Elsewhere, "Punish the Young" is political, yeah, but it's like if The Kinks were making modern indie. There's a bit of the old "Airwaves Dream" in "Far Far Away", but Swansea Sound are not making punk in a stylistic sense, as this is big pop music (albeit made on punk-y terms). I think a better comparison for the gems here might be not only Hue's Pooh Sticks stuff, but Operation Heavenly, the 1996 album from Amelia and Rob and team. Released in the downward swell of Britpop's seemingly never-ending wave, that record pointed a path forward for indie players to embrace a bigger sound. It's not that Oasis were wrong for aiming for the masses, but they were cloddishly unoriginal in what they cribbed from and ripped off. Swansea Sound make no mistakes here, maybe also looking to Slade for a hint of the big, ascending hook of "Greatest Hits Radio", but not getting themselves lost in the weeds on the way to the cut's pop peak. This one, and purposeful closer "Pack the Van" are stunning, very, very fun, and heartfelt in all the right ways. The sound is BIG, but the sensibility is still indie, and the concerns still what they've always been for those who've made the choice to keep things DIY rather than sell out.
Doing it on their own terms has not diminished the ambitions of Swansea Sound, and I'd say that these folks may never have sounded this on fire with the possibilities of rock-and-roll as they do here in 2023. Play this loudly on your headphones, on your vinyl or disc device, and in your car as you tool down a country road or a highway. Just don't look for it on Spotify.
Twentieth Century by Swansea Sound is out this Friday via Skep Wax. More details about the listening party on September 8th are available via the Bandcamp link.