Ears Wide Open: Brother Swan
Kevin Bronson on
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Brother Swan make nonchalantly beautiful neo-shoegaze buoyed by soaring melodies, exquisite textures and questioning lyrics. Theirs isn’t so much a wall of sound as a curtain, inviting the listener in. Fans of Wild Nothing, Day Wave, Starflyer 59 and M83 might like the ’90s-meets-Aughts indie-rock on their debut album, “Loom,” out Oct. 4.
The band — singer-guitarist Chris Matthews (ex-Year of Suns), bassist-vocalist Ian Stahl and drummer Chris Weisson — released their debut single in June after spending much of the pandemic recording “Loom.” As one would expect, it’s informed by events of the past two-plus years — “wrestling themes of existential anxiety and uncertainty during a tumultuous period of dissociation,” they say.
“Ultimately ‘Loom’ is a record about dissolution, acknowledging one’s own avoidance and anxiety, and rebuilding through expression,” they add. “It documents the renewal of love we have for those who have been in our lives, even if they are no longer around to hear the music.”
||| Stream: “Good Luck Baby,” “In the Morning (Song for Us)” and “When’s the Last Time”
||| Live: Brother Swan celebrate the release of “Loom” with a free show Oct. 4 at Harvard & Stone, joined by Lean.
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