Swearin'
Fall Into the Sun
Release Date: Oct 5, 2018
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Merge
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Album Review: Fall Into the Sun by Swearin'
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 4/5
Compositionally, the music that's been keeping Allison Crutchfield busy in the five years since the last Swearin' record wasn't far removed from what we'd come to expect from her. Last year's solo debut, 'Tourist in This Town', came complete with uplifting hooks for days, vocals that sounded like a rougher, slightly less honeyed version of her twin sister Katie's, and a sharp ear for melody. What was different, though, was the palette she was painting with, both on 'Tourist in This Town' and the stark EP 'Lean In to It'; buzzy synths replaced scuzzy guitars for the most part.
Based on rating 8/10
Philadelphia pop-minded punks Swearin' split up in 2015 when co-leader/songwriters Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride ended their romantic relationship, one that had been solid when they formed the band in their early twenties. Crutchfield spent some time touring as part of her sister Katie's Waxahatchee project and released the synthy and self-reflective solo album Tourist in This Town in early 2017. As time moved on, the ex-bandmates' wounds healed and they reconnected, reactivating Swearin' with drummer Jeff Bolt to work toward their third album and first new music in five years.
Based on rating 8/10
A funny thing happened between Swearin's 2015 split and their reformation last fall: Allison Crutchfield (along with her sister Katie) became figureheads for a new generation of American indie rock. But on their first album in five years, the Philadelphia trio make clear out of the gate that their reunion is an attempt to reclaim the artistic spirit that originally brought them together, as much as it is a chance for Crutchfield and co-front person Kyle Gilbride to hash out the romantic breakup that led to the band's disillusion. "We're ….
Based on rating 7.4/10
While promoting her solo debut, Tourist in This Town, last year, Allison Crutchfield predicted Swearin' would never play another show. Although she and cofounder Kyle Gilbride had tried to keep their Philly band together after they ended their romantic relationship, they ultimately recognized the untenability of pretending nothing had changed. Tourist in This Town documented their souring status and her profound displacement after their collapse.
'Fall Into the Sun'
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