I’m all about the humble email, where anything understated usually mean it’s good. Don’t get me wrong, listening to new music as a job is like a porno to me but it can be pretty testy spending an hour and a day reading through lengthy EPKs (this Tumblr page shares our pains). So when I open an email and it just says this:
I’m pretty effing excited that I’ve been given the chance to make my mind up myself of what the music is and what makes it good.
So what have we got here?
- “Swim Good” is the title of a solid Frank Ocean track and the moniker of this Toronto producer’s output.
- “Since You Asked” is the title of a solid Swim Good tune.
- Merival is the youthfully raw and heartbeat skip inducing vocalist on this track.
- Darren Seltmann of the phenomenal Australian group The Avalanches (a group that cleverly constructed songs from vinyl samples to reconceptualise music- see “Frontier Psychiatrist”) contributes to the track.
This is a formula made in any music making wet dream and was one set up by Ryan Hemsworth for his bi-weekly, skilfully curated, promotion of fresh and supreme producers project Secret Songs.
Merival is the undertow to this track with her vocals that transcend us to another planet where we all float instead of walk. In this ebb tide we are blessed with lo-fi piano loop samples and a sweet gospel chant of ‘I say a prayer / I fall in love’. Lush at sunset, all the sunsets, all the beautiful moments, all the time.
The influence from Seltmann can clearly be heard from the traffic walking signal sounds and the string heavy accompaniments over breaks and drum fills. Oh what I would give to have sneak at the samples used in this. #lifegoals
We’re in love. Swim Good; you deserve to be proud because this is a one in a million.
Love,
Cat
THE BREAKDOWN:
Hometown: Toronto
Sounds Like: Willow Smith (new beats obvi.), Flume, Nicolas Jaar BBC 1 Essentials Mix
Say What? This seems to be brewing. Excited!
working on a tune that’s the sonic equivalent of me giving you all a big hug and saying ‘it’s gonna be alright’
— Jon Lawless (@swimgoodnow) July 16, 2015
Paws and pineapples, Cat
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