Swallow and the Wolf
Fire
Release Date: 19th May
From the very first moment I heard these guys last year I loved the music that they were creating. The tales their lyrics tell backed up with minimal yet beautifully effective sounds really is something that I can resonate with when listening to it and is something I am always looking for from a band/singer. This new EP sees older track ‘Fire’ paired with two new tracks which take their already very good aesthetic and build on it to an even higher level.
Starting off with title track ‘Fire’, a song I’ve already reviewed before and still love now as much as I did when I first heard it toward the latter half of 2013.The slow build-up of soft acoustic and the vocals of the pair that blend so wonderfully takes us to a chorus where drums and keys add to the subdued, flowing sound. The lyrics here tell the story of love for an ethereal character, a love that is given extra poignancy with dramatic musical build up’s and big drum sounds.
Next track, ‘Fight Tonight’ begins with softly plucked guitar strings that have a slight folk edge, a gentle melody and harmonious vocals. A piano line adds ferocity to the sound especially in the faster choruses while lyrically this sounds like a conversation with a lover with lines such as ‘I don’t want to fight tonight’ and ‘coz you and I, we’re dancing somehow without moving our feet’. Two thirds of the way through, vocals begin to soar and strings come in adding to the huge sound created by the piano. It’s a song that builds from calm beginnings to dramatic moments that match the pleading lyrics and vocal tone.
Ending on the atmospheric build up that greets us on ‘SOS’ with its strong and steady piano line. The male vocal is strong and prominent throughout while the female vocal flits in intermittently in verses and becomes a complimenting feature in the choruses. Fast guitar strumming, quick keys and strings create a truly epic soundscape for the chorus, one fit for a film soundtrack which compliments the storytelling vocals full of desperation with lyrics such as ‘my heart can only take so much of this’ repeated over and over. This is a truly astounding track and a brilliant way to end such a wonderful masterpiece of an EP.
Check out ‘Fight Tonight’ from the EP below and you can download it from their Bandcamp page now.
To find out more about Swallow and the Wolf visit their Facebook page, their Soundcloud page or you can follow them on Twitter – @SwallowWolf
Mixtape Couture 