Dear Past Life
Swindled start their third EP ‘What A nightmare!’ build up with the first single ‘Dear Past Life’ that will be released on the 21st of February 2025. This will be the first track featuring the full band since their debut EP ‘Counting Sheep’. After releasing their acoustic (second) EP ‘Leave the Big Light On’ in May 2024 Swindled return with a powerful, energetic anthem to burst out the doors and get the attention of music lovers again. Dear Past Life features Lottie Willis who is a rising star and loved around Sunderland’s local music scene. The chemistry between Lottie and Jonny’s (Swindled frontman) vocals throughout the track bring out the emotion and seriousness of the lyrics. The idea behind the song is to shout about the reality of the modern-day social problems and relationships. Putting the thought in the listeners heads of what people in the past would think of todays society compared to how they would have pictured it. Swindled give a taste of what’s to come in their third EP with this first single showing depth and growth in the bands playing and relatability in every lyric. And this is only the beginning…
Cosmic Immigrants
Swindled continue the countdown to the release of their third EP ‘What A Nightmare!’ with the second single ‘Cosmic Immigrants’ releasing on the 11th of April 2025. After their live release of the song in 2023 the feedback was overwhelming, and people were dying to hear the track recorded in the studio. In the bands minds ‘Cosmic Immigrants’ was the song to take them from a casual indie band to an art pop band that can experiment with inspiration and cosmic themes that even David Bowie would be proud of! The song is a suave ballad telling the story of a couple that flies to Mars to get away from the problems of Earth. Jonny Swindle the singer and songwriter of the track said “growing up my Grandad would play The War of the Worlds by Jeff Wayne on repeat, and it always made me think even as a child that it was something special, and that is without my Grandad telling me that it was a masterclass every second! I always wanted to make a song that would explore the same theme and cosmic immigrants was the one to do that perfectly.” Cosmic Immigrants is a slight nod to the excellence of Jeff Wayne and that album and how impactful on Jonny’s childhood it was. People wanted it so the band got it done and here it is the second single of ‘What A Nightmare!’ ‘Cosmic Immigrants’
Withdrawal Symptoms
Swindled’s single releases from their third EP ‘What A nightmare!’ will come to an end with the EPs outlier, ‘Withdrawal Symptoms’ releasing on the 6th of June 2025. The third single throws the listeners off track to what they were picturing after hearing the second single ‘Cosmic Immigrants’. Withdrawal Symptoms changes the tide of the EP with its eighties style synth work that turns an indie love song into a rhythmic, dance, pop tune that will make anyone struggle not to move. The overlapped meaning of the title creates a double entity throughout the song, that being love and drugs, and the similarity between the addiction of both. The idea of being away from someone you love being the same feeling as having a withdrawal from a drug is a relatable topic for everyone as they grow up and go through relationships and heartbreak. The band wanted to keep the essence of Swindled but also bleed into the synth pop genre granted they’d do it correctly and make a good song with the idea. Withdrawal Symptoms is an easy-to-follow pop song but still has the intricate lyrics that Swindled are known for. The last single from the EP leaves the listener wanting more and waiting for the much anticipated third EP ‘What A Nightmare!’
What A Nightmare!
Swindled’s third EP ‘What A nightmare!’ continues the ‘dreaming’ theme that runs through their debut EP ‘Counting Sheep’ and the acoustic (second) EP ‘Leave the Big Light on’. ‘What A Nightmare!’ is a progressive jump for the band that highlights teenage problems and the destruction of modern society through social media. Every member became just as important as each other throughout the making of the EP and they all had their own major development since the release of the last piece of work. The band has grown as artists not just musicians since their debut EP, and you notice that immediately with the first track (intro) ‘Hangxiety’. The thirty second introduction to the bands third EP keeps the listener on edge as it flows through worrying and isolating emotions that everyone has gone through after a long night! ‘Hangxiety’ instantly expresses the art pop feel that the band is trying to portray throughout. Making sure the EP is depicted as one whole piece of art instead of 4 singles patched together.
The following track ‘The Hangover’ is the first full song on the EP and is the only track that wasn’t brought out as a single on the build up to the release. Swindled return to the alternative rock feel that was much more noticeable in the debut EP ‘Counting Sheep’ to kick start ‘What A Nightmare!’. The pain and suffering in the vocals, blaring about the feeling of a hangover has an undertone of humour with the music making you believe it is the most painful and emotional thing to go through.
The Hangover is just the start to an EP that hits all emotions and thoughts, a piece of art that while you listen can make you question yourself and people around you with songs such as ‘Dear Past Life’ and then get you dancing with songs such as ‘Withdrawal Symptoms’. This is Swindled’s best work to date and will be shared through gigs, festivals and social media throughout 2025.