NEW NOISE: Swim Deep

About: West Midlands born and bred, the four-piece have no shame in revealing their incredibly unglamorous, not-so-rock ‘n’ roll formation. Meeting when the two original members worked at Morrisons, they soon discovered their mutual passion for good grunge music and proceeded to put their wasted talent to a more challenging and rewarding use. A year on from stacking ready meals on a daily basis and they are being booked to play shows all over Europe, invited to do live sessions at the prestigious Maida Vale studios and being dubbed by The Fly ‘the most exciting music in Birmingham at the moment.’

Trying to sum up Swim Deep’s sound proves to be a difficult task. Interweaving sun-soaked surf rock with grunge and modern indie vibes in a new wave, post-punk nutshell, the most fitting word that springs to mind is ‘escapism’. Classically NME, they are favourably far removed from the cliché-spewing youngsters so often seen attempting to ‘modernize The Cure’s sound’. Instead, they pull off their stylistic blend with ease in a way that simultaneously consumes your mind, sparks your imagination, and frees you from any outside thoughts. Their most recent single ‘King City’ is a glorification of youth and California-centralised dreams, and is a sure-fire hit with festival- and gig-goers this season.

Verdict: An illuminated collision of genres with layers of deep bass, orchestral keys and breathy, distant vocals