album: Swither - Swither

words: aaron eisenrich

Swither, a self-described seltzer punk band from Pittsburgh, has been building a name for themselves with some excellent live shows. They’re a band of four talented musicians who can trade off vocals, swap solos, and intertwine riffs with frantic energy and skillful precision. It’s not always easy to transfer this live energy to a record, but that’s exactly what Swither did with their self-titled debut full-length.

What I love about Swither is that everyone in the band is doing something interesting and unique with their instrument, but they’re never in each other’s way and the songs never sound cluttered. Guitarist Eli Enis makes the most of the fretboard on the record, playing a combination of solo lines, melodies and chords, while never falling into a pattern for too long. Julia Carbone’s work on the keys adds so much to the band’s sound, sometimes hanging back in the mix in lower registers, other times soaring with melodic lines that stand out and complement the vocal lines. Hayden Ferry’s bass playing is always enjoyable and fits perfectly within the band’s sound, and drummer Patrick Crossen holds everything together while also playing all over the set. On top of all of that, everyone in the band has an excellent voice.

Album opener “Car Crash Daydreams” shows off the band’s skills well with members trading off vocals in the verse and showing off their strong harmonies in the chorus. The chorus melody is one of the more particularly catchy ones on the record, even as the band sings about “car crash daydreams” and “waking up with anxiety.” 

“Mutual Friends” features a nice melody from the keys during the verse and a great mix of vocals. At the bridge, the song takes a turn with an aggressive palm muted guitar leading to a key solo, guitar solo, and coda jam that lasts just long enough. The band also clarifies their name for anyone who was curious in the bridge (“it’s how a snake would swim in water!”).

With very few overdubs of the four instruments, there’s a lot of space on each tune that works really well. The guitar solos sound great without a rhythm guitar under them, as everyone else has the room to do more than just keep the beat and play chords. A great example of this is album centerpiece “Helter Seltzer,” a bubbly song with a killer guitar riff and a fun hit-and-stop pattern in the verse.  

“Keep Going” and “Sharpshooter” are two excellent short tunes that bring a lot of energy and give everyone the chance to shine. “Sharpshooter” has a classic bratty punk attitude that fits perfectly before “Orange Peels,” which brings sunny vibes before one of the album’s more explosive moments, featuring dueling solos from the guitars and keys.

The album closes with “Dead to the World,” an ode to all of the great methods of self-improvement you have planned if you could only get out of bed. The song is both brashly honest and wonderfully catchy, and it’s hard not to sing along and get “caught up in the thrill of staying dead to the world.” 

More than anything, this record is fun. As melodies rise and fall, vocalists trade lines, and the drums propel you to the next phrase. At times, it seems as if different sounds are coming from all angles. Take a half hour and get lost in the bubbly world of Swither, and crack a seltzer while you’re at it.