Harry the Nightgown - "Swing Song"
Harry the Nightgown are one of the more exciting groups to emerge from the Los Angeles scene in recent years. Their dynamic art rock style, which exists at the intersection of analog studio experimentation and classic song structures, sounds unlike anything else currently out there. They strike that perfect balance between sonic adventure and pop bliss, and their resulting creations are challenging, yet palatable. Free-flowing, yet anchored by their indelible hooks. Expansive, yet firmly rooted in the prime tenets of pop music.
Today, we’re excited to premiere the duo’s latest effort, “Swing Song.” The track sees songwriters Sami Perez and Spencer Hartling unwavering in maintaining that aforementioned symmetry and it’s evident rather quickly. Opening with a looping, whetted drum machine beat, Perez’s voice shuffles in swiftly, perfectly hitting arpeggiated notes in quick succession. The two trade vocal duties, with Hartling serving as a lower register contrast. Some whistle-like atmospherics give way to a gooey, melodic chorus that rests on an angelic choir of harmonies. Thereafter, modulated vocals make a prominent appearance at the song’s arc, which then swells through an uptick in energy in the outro.
Lyrically, their words address the feelings of helplessness that accompany being unable to help a loved one going through a dark time. The band shared the following on the song’s thematic inspirations:
The choir chorus lyrics were inspired by a friend who was going through a really dark time when we wrote this song in the early stages of the pandemic. Being so physically distant and not really knowing what I could do about that.
Watching someone you love sink into darkness feels really bizarre, especially when it’s someone who you find a lot of light and beauty in. This feeling of danger brought on by something beautiful combusting in a still beautiful way stuck in my brain, so I put it in the song (“she is the terror, she is the beast, she is the body in the water, she is an ember caught in the leaves…”). It felt like relevant imagery to the way that the pandemic was manifesting in my social relationships at the time.
Stream “Swing Song” below!
“Swing Song” will appear on the band’s forthcoming EP, Air the Light Cloud, which is set for release on November 18th. The song hits streaming services tomorrow. Keep up with the project by following them on Instagram.
The band is also about to embark on a west coast tour. They’ll be kicking things off tomorrow evening in Costa Mesa at Semitropic Wines. A full list of dates is below.
