by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Auckland, New Zealand’s Swallow The Rat have roots in both their current home town and as far away as Austin, Texas, which makes them a perfect fit for the international locations of Shifting Sounds Records (Magnet School, Honeyrude, Black Books), who are based in Texas and Australia (it’s close enough). Set to release their full length debut, Leaving Room, on April 24th, the band have developed a style that knots together their NZ post-punk influences with shoegaze and post-hardcore tendencies closer to the American underground. Having released their first single “Bird of Ill” with FLOOD Magazine last month, we’ve got the premiere of the band’s latest, “Hey Yeah,” a song about aging and all that entails.
“Hey Yeah” is warbles with interlocked rhythms and a nerve-rattling lead, the kind you imagine sounding huge at a booming volume. Mixing a dissonant sound of 90’s guitars with a ominous jangle, there’s an intensity in the track, that’s build on thick chord progressions that really kick in as the song pushes toward it’s climatic end. Speaking about the song, Sam Vercoe (guitar/vocals) shared:
"This song is about someone growing older but not growing up. They are struggling to find life’s purpose and feel suffocated by others expectations. They need to choose between giving up or moving forward. And the window of opportunity for change is running out."