swim school have announced details of their second EP Duality set for release on 2 June via LAB Records. Alongside this news, the Edinburgh trio have shared their heaviest single to date ‘Delirious‘. It documents frontwoman Alice Johnson’s experiences of misogyny within the music industry; tackling sexist behaviour from sound engineers via driving, fuzzy guitars and a furious rebuttal against the disrespectful behaviour.
“2022 was our busiest year yet, we travelled the whole of the UK playing new venues and meeting new sound engineers, but not every encounter was good. I experienced a lot of sexism and a distinct lack of respect when it came to working with the majority of male engineers; constantly being patronised and led to feel as though I wasn’t good enough. Instead of letting it get to me, I wrote ‘Delirious’, a reminder that insecurities are at the root of sexism. The lyrics are very tongue in cheek, almost making a laughing stock of the person who is being misogynistic.”
swim school released their debut EP making sense of it all in 2021. The follow-up Duality was recorded with Iain Berryman (Wolf Alice, Florence and the Machine, Beabadoobee) at London’s Narcissus Studios. 2022 saw the band play numerous festivals including The Great Escape, 2000 Trees, Standon Calling, Tramlines, Truck, 110 Above and Boardmasters as well as their own headline shows. They look to have an equally busy 2023 with dates already announced plus a support slot with Softcult.
Alice further expands on the new EP:
“I saw the quote “Duality is a situation in which two opposite feelings exist at the same time” and that described the EP perfectly. There are 4 tracks on the EP: two love songs and two angry songs. The songs are based on experiences that I have gone through at a certain point in my life. The fact that you can feel contrasting feelings at the same time can be confusing and take a toll on you mentally, but I find that writing is the best way to cope with it. “
swim school live dates:
1st February – Voodoos, Norwich
3rd February – Heartbreakers, Southampton
4th February – Audio Active, Worthing
5th February – Corporation Room 3, Sheffield
9th April – YES, Manchester (w/ Softcult)
10th April – Bodega, Nottingham (w/ Softcult)
11th April – Prince Albert, Brighton (w/ Softcult)
13th April – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (w/ Softcult)
14th April – Omeara, London (w/ Softcult)
17th April – Blue Shell, Cologne DE (w/ Softcult)
18th April – Turmzimmer, Hamburg DE (w/ Softcult)
For more information on swim school please check out their facebook and twitter.
