Sunderland indie outfit, Swindled, return with a new EP which shows their softer side. Lee Allcock caught up with the band to discuss the acoustic release, John Lennon and more.
Why did you decide to record the EP yourself? And what did you learn during the recording process?
We decided to record the EP by ourselves to challenge us and upgrade our ability. We used the studio in the college we go to, meaning we had a lot of time to record these songs so we could really make sure we were happy with them. We learnt a lot from doing this process such as what works in a mix and what doesn’t. I learnt a lot about production and patience from recording faulty takes, things bleeding into vocal mics and finding out we had to record everything again.
There are a lot more acoustic tracks on this EP than your last EP. Why did you make that decision?
We decided to do an acoustic style of EP as we originally wanted to just make an acoustic version of our debut EP, ‘Counting Sheep’, and add one bonus track. But then we were torn between four tracks which could be considered the bonus tracks, so we thought, why not just make the four tracks we are debating between a whole new EP.
What has the response been like so far?
We have received great feedback on the songs which is surprising as we believed we wouldn’t get many from the songs being slower-paced, which isn’t our usual style. We celebrated the release of the EP with a gig which sold out and went very well.
Moving away from the release, do you have any other live dates lined up over the coming months?
We do have a few live dates coming up. We would love it if people came to the ‘Road to Hardwick’ gig at the Wonderbar in Newcastle on Friday 31st May as, if we get enough support, it may lead to us playing on the Hardwick Stage, which would be a dream for all of us. There are many other great bands performing alongside us so it will be a great watch for all.
And finally, if you could go to dinner with any musician, dead or alive, who would you choose? And what would you discuss?
I think all of the members would agree with me when I say John Lennon, which is a common answer, but he is such an inspiration to our music and I’d love to chat with him about everything from songwriting to just his life with Yoko. I’d love to know about the fine details on his time with The Beatles and how he goes about crafting a song. Writing a song with him too would be great and you know we’d have to get him in some TikToks to promote it (laughing).
You can listen to the EP now on all major streaming platforms.
