Biography
Britain's Swim Deep specializes in melodic guitar rock that draws from 1980s dream pop and 1990s shoegaze. After perfecting this foundation on the 2013 debut album Where the Heaven Are We, the quartet has broadened its range by weaving in acid house and synth pop textures, as heard on Mothers in 2015, Emerald Classics in 2019, and There's a Big Star Outside in 2024.
Formed in Birmingham in 2010 around guitarist and vocalist Austin Williams plus guitarist Tom Higgins, the band underwent several roster shifts before settling on its current four-piece lineup with the arrival of bassist Cavan McCarthy and drummer Zachary Robinson. The group joined Chess Club in 2012 and issued its first single, "King City." Additional singles soon attracted media attention and built a dedicated audience. Their debut full-length, Where the Heaven Are We, reached number 20 on the U.K. albums chart in 2013. The follow-up, Mothers, surfaced in 2015 and introduced a sound shaped by psychedelic, gospel, and acid house influences. It also marked the first album featuring touring multi-instrumentalist James Balmont. That year the band supported the 1975 on the road.
In 2018 both Robinson and Higgins departed, making way for guitarist Robbie Wood and drummer Thomas Fiquet. Swim Deep resurfaced in October 2019 with the third album Emerald Classics. Cut in Margate under producer Dave McCracken and titled after a beloved Birmingham pub, the record once again merged the group's dream-rock origins with 1990s pop and acid house elements.
March 2022 brought the EP Familiarise Yourself with Your Closest Exit, which included guest appearances by Hatchie, Dept, Nell Power, and Phoebe Green, the last of whom sang on the opening track "On the Floor." Later that September the band released the standalone single "Little Blue." Their fourth studio album, There's a Big Star Outside, arrived in June 2024. Fronted by the single "How Many Love Songs Have Died in Vegas?," it was produced by former the Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones.
Formed in Birmingham in 2010 around guitarist and vocalist Austin Williams plus guitarist Tom Higgins, the band underwent several roster shifts before settling on its current four-piece lineup with the arrival of bassist Cavan McCarthy and drummer Zachary Robinson. The group joined Chess Club in 2012 and issued its first single, "King City." Additional singles soon attracted media attention and built a dedicated audience. Their debut full-length, Where the Heaven Are We, reached number 20 on the U.K. albums chart in 2013. The follow-up, Mothers, surfaced in 2015 and introduced a sound shaped by psychedelic, gospel, and acid house influences. It also marked the first album featuring touring multi-instrumentalist James Balmont. That year the band supported the 1975 on the road.
In 2018 both Robinson and Higgins departed, making way for guitarist Robbie Wood and drummer Thomas Fiquet. Swim Deep resurfaced in October 2019 with the third album Emerald Classics. Cut in Margate under producer Dave McCracken and titled after a beloved Birmingham pub, the record once again merged the group's dream-rock origins with 1990s pop and acid house elements.
March 2022 brought the EP Familiarise Yourself with Your Closest Exit, which included guest appearances by Hatchie, Dept, Nell Power, and Phoebe Green, the last of whom sang on the opening track "On the Floor." Later that September the band released the standalone single "Little Blue." Their fourth studio album, There's a Big Star Outside, arrived in June 2024. Fronted by the single "How Many Love Songs Have Died in Vegas?," it was produced by former the Coral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones.
Albums
Singles
