PAULIE SWAN - Swans Today

The first thing you notice listening to Paulie Swan's brief debut is the voice. A deep, warm, enveloping voice, seemingly emerging from some unfathomable cavity, from an almost tangible depth, carving out space within the sophisticated, elegant folds of a contaminated jazz until it becomes a physical presence. While the voice is steady, rooted, powerful, the music rarely allows itself a place to land.

Paulie Swan in fact favours suspended chords and interlocutory passages, building a sound space that's constantly teetering on the edge. It's no coincidence that the strongest sensation you get from listening to "Swans Today" is that of floating in a dreamlike, stretched-out limbo, populated by the vibrations of nostalgia and a subtle, persistent melancholy. "Me vs Mothra", for instance, the most beautiful track on the whole record, seems less concerned with finding a direction than with inhabiting uncertainty and fragility - the same fragility found in the lyrics of these four gorgeous songs, which speak of shame, insecurity, self-deprecation and endless inner conflict.

Conceived as one half of a two-part project, "Swans Today" plays out like the Scottish artist's attempt to shake off his own negative feelings and sublimate streams of consciousness, life notes, intimate reflections and images that had settled for months, perhaps years. Whether on piano or guitar, the young Briton crafts melodies that are as hard to predict as they are hypnotic. Concentric circles to slowly sink into, rediscovering the satisfying pleasure of listening to great music. An album for anyone who loves Cameron Winter and King Krule, but also for anyone who simply wants to enjoy new material, written and played with masterful skill. Let's hope these are the first promising signs of something bigger and more ambitious.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

17/07/2026