New Music: SWOLL – Do You Know What’s Changed?

Baltimore’s SWOLL celebrate the release of their Avoid Attach album with this psychedelic video for Do You Know What’s Changed? – a featured track.

Matt Dowling’s outfit know their way around a rock song but pivot that in an electronic direction here. It’s gentle and open, even as the arrangement blends in trap and electronica that are heavily influenced by dream pop. It’s mood music, magical and glistening, though on close listening, the lyrics point you towards shadows, not sunlight.

Dowling says about Avoid Attach, “I wanted to turn the psychological condition of avoidant attachment style into a verb that feels relevant right now.”

“Avoidant attachment style is perhaps best described by Kevin Barnes’ Of Montreal lyric ‘I need you here, and not here too.’ It’s a particularly modern condition that’s simultaneously psychological and physical.”

“It sort of sounds bad and unhealthy (it is on the clinical edge of a disorder), but things like social media and AI, which are simply wildly popular modern tools, are particularly good places to ‘avoid attach.’ I also think things sort of feel overall bad and unhealthy in the world right now, but that could just be a coincidence, or my own projection.”

Avoid Attach is out now via Blight Records in vinyl and digital formats on Bandcamp. The album is also streaming on YouTube Music and Spotify. For other listening options and news of live dates, follow SWOLL on Instagram or Facebook.