If someone sat you down with a pen and paper, and gave you ten minutes to write down every Oxford band you could think of, the paper could well remain blank when the tume ran out, unless you’re local to the area. Some may scribble down Radiohead or even Stornoway, but beyond them, Oxfordshire has been a largely underrepresented region when it comes to the UK’s biggest music scenes. One band in particular is coming on in leaps and bounds in their attempts to change this, however, and that band is Wild Swim.
Wild Swim’s ‘Echo’ single emerged last year to a widely positive reception, and it’s certainly hard not to love. With it, the quintet produced a slow and dreamy piece that builds into an incredibly powerful piece, with the lungs of tailor-turned-vocalist Richard Sansom being the key element in the climb to the track’s crescendo, with the last thirty seconds sees the band truly wake up to smash out a far heavier finale than what the piece’s opening seemed to foreshadow. ‘Bright Eyes’ is the tracks B-side, and as Sansom’s vocals settle down over the accompanying synth and electronic drums, creating a spaced out vibe that sees the track evolve instrumentally from start to finish. Wild Swim don’t settle for leaving ‘Bright Eyes’ as simple ambience, and instead turn it into an ever-changing effort that takes none of the spotlight off ‘Echo’ on the single, but follows it well, showing that there is much more that one weapon in the five-piece’s arsenal.
‘Another Night’ is the latest single to surface from the Wild Swim camp, landing earlier this month with ‘Slowing Down’ joining it as track two on the release. ‘Another Night’ gives another new edge to the band, packing a much bigger sound from the beginning than either track on last year’s ‘Echo’ release. Following the example that ‘Echo’ set, however, the track ends in an instrumental flourish ensuring that Jamie Jay and Carlos Posada, the band’s resident jugglers of keyboards and guitar, have their time to shine. ‘Slowing Down’, meanwhile, is a small change of pace, easing up slightly to provide a more laid back piece. It’s another strong pairing of two distinctly different tracks, however, that will hopefully now lead into a longer EP or album release before too long.
Musically, Oxford is still a city that needs putting on the map. Wild Swim are certainly wasting no time in exclaiming why they should be the ones to lead the charge, however, taking the best of the dream pop sound that artists like the XX and Bat For Lashes have produced, adding some atmospheric drum and bass in places, and wrapping it all up with the fantastic vocals of Richard Sansom. There is a lot to love about Wild Swim right now, and when more material begins to flow from the quintet, there’s nothing to say they can’t make some serious waves.
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