Liverpool indie rock duo King Hannah present their second album Big Swimmer, out now via City Slang. The album has Hannah Merrick & Craig Whittle working in tandem to give you summer beach vibes.
Produced by Ali Chant, Big Swimmer, is inspired by the American 70s new wave culture, and this experimental sound is weaved throughout.
“I’m a big swimmer, I’ll swim at anything
Cause I’m a big swimmer, I’ll dive in my head first thing”
This album is a picnic feast of 11 intimate, conversational songs with lovely instrumental pauses. The pauses allow individually sung notes to hang in your ear and the guitars the opportunity to truly sing.
My favorite song was of course ‘Somewhere Near El Paso,’ with more than eight minutes of melodic beats to keep me happy. King Hannah does tempo changes like nobody’s business, taking me from feeling like they were conjuring a dreamy genie from the 70s in El Paso, to ending with a lovely powerful crescendo reminiscent of a dust storm.
When asked where the inspiration for their album came from, King Hannah said,
“I remember sitting at my desk and the song just came pouring out and the big swimmer metaphor instantly felt right; to never give up on whatever it is you’re swimming hard towards. But I like that it questions the listener too, that whenever you’re faced with something challenging, do you carry on swimming or do you jump out and grab your towel? There’s no right answer, but it feels empowering and necessary for the record.”
Starting in late summer, King Hannah will begin their UK and EU tours.
Upcoming Shows:
August 30 – End of the Road: Dorset (UK)
September 5 – Lido: Berlin (DE)
More tour dates here
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