Single Review – Swimming Tapes: “Souvenirs”

Remember the Cranberries? Their song “Dream” still gets airtime on the radio. You can go ahead and call Swimming Tapes’ new single “Souvenirs”, the ‘dream’ of this generation. Hailing from London, the brand new indie-pop band swoops down to attract with sensational glowing guitars and laid back melodies. The band also copes with fans of The Radio Dept. who put out the album entitled Clinging To A Scheme in 2010. I hear some charming resemblance to The Smiths, who just so happen to be from Britain.

The simplistic form of “Souvenirs” projects a swooning atmosphere. It’s not heavy, not in your face, not pushing buttons, but just easy resonance that bays in every corner of the mind. The reverbed vocals bring the song to life. The glossy touch of guitars play tag, while the presence of bass is lightly throbbing with the patter of the snare drum. There is nothing quite like a straightforward progression that inks into the millennial pages. Songs like this coax the audience to some intricate musing, because it wanders from the familiar mainstream path. Swimming Tapes doesn’t have a release date for an EP or full album. That’ll have to be okay for now. For now.

Lyrically, the song trends with the coastal villages in its pursuit of a paradise. With the lines, “Stay for a spring/ Hang around for the summer/Sand in my jeans and shoes”, the song’s obvious call to the pleasantries of summer make it easily relatable to lovers of warm weather. This song probably won’t make it to the top projects of the 2010s. Too few quality songs actually make it there. If I’m correct it will be a damn shame. I know the song shares too much of a certain feel, which is priceless only for the moment. However, the song lifts people up from the cold and gently pours on the melting embrace. I’m just thrilled that the band wrote a song like this.