Ears Wide Open: Swerve
Kevin Bronson on
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The first single from fledgling L.A. quartet Swerve recalls the heyday of Britpop, with alternately sharp/punky and pretty/chiming guitars setting the stage for frontman Gregory Mahdesian’s slightly menacing vocals. It’s the first song from an EP that Mahdesian, who previously played in the rock trio the Simple Pleasures, has in the works. Live, the singer-guitarist is currently joined by guitarist Ryan Berti, bassist Brandon Duncan and drummer Casey Baird. No muss, no fuss here — just a good ol’ guitar band with a bit of an Anglophile streak. We rather miss their ilk.
||| Stream: “Remedy”
[…] Swerve’s sound can be traced to the 1990s, when Britpop and grunge ruled, and those influences can be heard in the majestic open-chord strums of the guitar and vocal harmonies on the band’s five-song EP, released last fall. The big sound in “Everything (Hey Girl)” becomes almost claustrophobic in the brilliant single-take video directed by Hank Fontaine of The Fontaines. […]