SINGLE The Fire // ARTIST A Swift Farewell
Nostalgic pop punk meets blazing modernity in the hands of Sydney quartet A Swift Farewell and their brand new tune The Fire which sprung to life yesterday.
A band fervently taking cues from the likes of Tonight Alive, Stand Atlantic and beyond, Sydney's A Swift Farewell have had a rapid introduction to the scene since first emerging just last year, with a string of acclaimed releases, radio play and snagging the coveted opening slot on Sydney's Northern Beaches for the Hands Like Houses regional tour last year. But while the group are no longer the new kids on the proverbial pop punk block, A Swift Farewell have lived up to the more rapid elements in their namesake, swiftly chasing the release earlier this year of their EP Shattered Glass with some brand new music , with the bittersweet The Fire dropping into the world yesterday.
Bustling with perky beats and poppin' nostalgic melodics, The Fire on its surface appears as an upbeat anthem that could easily be just another ode to a coming-of-age love story or heartbreak. But rather than cloying with stereotypical thematics, A Swift Farewell flip the narrative and juxtapose the frothier aspect of the track with some deeper ruminations into destructive habits and addictions, as well as the frustration to be rid of them.
“We wanted to make “The Fire” unique by emphasising the contrast between happy music and sad lyrics as much as possible. If you think about it, the two best things about music are 1) it can be enjoyable and you can dance, sing (or mosh) along to it, 2) it can be really cathartic and relatable, helping you go through rough times. With this song, we tried to combine the two.” - A Swift Farewell
Like a friend who will simultaneously wipe away your tears and take you out dancing when you're sad, The Fire is a confident continuation of the upward journey A Swift Farewell have found themselves on over the past few months. And also wielding a 90s ready music video that'll have you reminiscing about the days of Video Hits and the domination of cheesy videos from the likes of Blink-182, Aqua and the like, A Swift Farewell will certainly light a spark of rollicking fun with this fun and formative tune. Mothers lock up your matches, The Fire is just the beginning of what A Swift Farewell have planned for 2020!
FOLLOW A SWIFT FAREWELL:
BY TIANA SPETER