Headswim originated in Essex, England, when ex-Blinder frontman and guitarist Dan Glendining teamed with his brother Tom Glendining on drums to launch the project. They completed the lineup by bringing in their acquaintance Clovis Taylor on bass and local keyboardist Nick Watts. From the outset the quartet focused on writing and recording, finishing the EPs Tense Nervous Head and Moment of Union inside their first year. Those early tracks displayed a grungy American rock tone that recalled Pearl Jam and other less punk-oriented, more jam-based Seattle acts of the period. The style matched prevailing label tastes, so Headswim secured a contract with Sony Music in 1994. One year later the band issued its debut album Flood in England, where the sound carried a slightly heavier edge. The single “Crawl” from that release gained modest traction on U.K. radio, leading the group to undertake its first extensive tour across numerous European markets. Momentum paused when Dan and Tom’s brother Mathew Glendining died after a prolonged struggle with leukemia. While recovering emotionally, Dan Glendining channeled his feelings into intensive songwriting sessions that supplied much of the material for the follow-up album Despite Yourself. Released by Sony in 1997, that record featured several songs addressing Glendining’s loss together with other quasi-spiritually themed tracks that examined mysterious and more personal lyrical concerns. “Tourniquet” became a minor radio hit in both America and the U.K., and the band made its first American tour that same year, appearing on stages across the U.S. alongside Kula Shaker. Despite Yourself proved to be Headswim’s final major-label recording; after parting from Sony the group managed only the independent U.K. single “Dusty Road” in 2000. The loss of label support arrived at an inopportune moment for Glendining and his bandmates, who had already overcome a severe personal tragedy and, in doing so, achieved meaningful artistic advances.
