At the peak of their original run in the 90s, Swervedriver were lumped in with the shoegazer scene thanks to their buried soft vocals and dense wall of guitars. But they also had a lot in common with grunge’s sludgy riffs and were always less shy of bluesy leads than most of their UK contemporaries. On their first album in 17 years, they capture the feel of their first two records better than they did on the two others they released in the 90s.
Their many years of touring since reuniting in 2007 show in the confident playing and overall tightness, and the songwriting is more consistent than in the late 90s. The pop and folk influences are foregrounded, with elements of the Byrds and Big Star shining through layers of noisy guitar. Their approach is no longer as unique as it once was, but unlike many reunion albums, this one stands up fine next to their seminal work.
Top track: Deep Wound
Swervedriver play the Horseshoe as part of CMW on Wednesday (May 6).
