Track Of The Day 15/1 – Swim Mountain

'Love On Top'

Guilty pleasures – it’s an odd subject.

After all, if you enjoy listening to something, then why feel guilty? With influences ranging from bossa nova to outlandish synth pop, tropical psychedelia to classic pop, London’s Swim Mountain are clearly of the mindset that if it sounds good, then listen to it.

The band’s debut EP is out now, fusing a bewildering array of styles into a breezy six track affair. At the heart of it all, though, is an appreciation for pop music, for that combination of wonderful lyrics and contagious melodies.

With that in mind, Swim Mountain recently decided to cover a modern pop great. Tom Skyrme explains: “Even though the original track is about 4 years old I only heard it last year, I hadn't actually bothered listening to much Beyoncé before that. I was at The Grove (LA) and they pump music out of these speakers everywhere you walk, like some sort of Disneyland but for people who love shopping (I don't love shopping, I was there to eat shit loads of food). The song got played and blew my mind, those beautiful chords, the top line killed me and it fucking modulated like a madman, which no one does anymore. It sounded like some track Whitney Houston would have done in the 80s. She's the fucking best.”

“It's a bit of a laugh. The only difference is that I actually modulate down instead of up at the end, which is strange because I thought it would sound weird but it actually sounds like it still goes up at first? Trippy maaan! I wanted to keep it a fun cover and I think it nicely sets up the evolution in sound that the next record has, there's been a big gap between recording the first EP and now and I didn't want to just do it the same, it's definitely going to feel like it's from the same place but different, more evolved? Basically, there's a lot more weird old synths and less phaser.”

Check it out now. 

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