Washington trio Swings know all about their hometown heritage, but refuse to be burdened by it. From the same spring of crunching guitars, scattershot rhythms and DIY values that birthed Dischord Records and the still-revered early ‘80s DC hardcore scene, their upcoming debut album ‘Detergent Hymns’ – dropping on January 17, with a cassette release on Quiet Year Records – takes the gritty, inventive rock lilt of local heroes Faraquet, Fugazi and Beauty Pill and slurs it into something new. “I think most people in DC are pretty sick of nostalgia for that scene,” says guitarist and vocalist Jamie Finucane, joined in Swings by bassist Zach Lewton and, on drums, childhood friend Dan Howard. “I don’t see that nostalgia in many musicians around here at all or feel like we’re part of some tradition here.” Instead, they’re breaking fresh ground, with a sound that, across the nine tracks on the incredible ‘Detergent Hymns’, growls and simmers with at once menace and melancholy. Radar favourites Krill love them, and so should you.
‘Heavy Manner’, the second track to be heard from the new album, is a murky fever dream of snaking bass, creaking vocals and down-the-rabbit-hole lyrics (“I want you in limestone tunnels… that ugly candy that you spread too thin and lost”) that pulls you deep into its madness. We’ve got the premiere below. If you like it, there’s two further singles to check out on their Bandcamp and amp up your excitement for January 17.