TOUR
MEDIA
ABOUT OLD
The sophomore album Old by Newfoundland emo trio Swimming is an aptly titled release, as much of the music was written before their 2021 debut, That’s OK. What began as a metaphorical “cleaning of the closet” evolved into their second LP, featuring updated versions of songs from their 2019 demo, along with seven other tracks that trace back to the band’s early days. Swimming takes the familiar Midwest emo formula and expands upon it, resulting in a diverse yet accessible record that still feels right at home for fans of indie rock. With its energetic, driving sound, Old creates an immersive listening experience, capturing the raw, intimate vibe of the tight, sweaty St. John’s house shows where the band first cut their teeth.
OLD RELEASES FEB. 21, 2025
PRAISE FOR OLD
"Swimming doesn’t sugarcoat the past on Old—they dig through it, sit with it, reshape it. Some tracks remain almost untouched, others are reassembled with the hindsight of years gone by. What emerges is an album that doesn’t just capture a band’s early years but reflects on them with clarity. This is music from another time, but it still matters. For Swimming, the past isn’t something to run from—it’s something to finally set free."
- Karol Kamiński, IDIOTEQ
ABOUT THAT'S OK
Swimming’s 2021 debut LP That’s OK is a concise snapshot of the band’s identity. Combining elements of emo, math rock, power pop & punk rock, That’s OK shows Swimming wearing their influences and hearts on their sleeves. Intricate drum work, loud, driving bass & math guitar flourishes lay the bed for the earnest vocals shared by all band members. The albums atmosphere expands with the addition of strings & trumpet that bring a maturity to the arrangements. Swimmings songwriters grapple with complex feelings rooted in their Newfoundland identity and sense of isolation. The lead single “Sometimes Things Change” has been featured in editorial playlists on Spotify for over 2 years, racking up over 240,000 streams. That’s OK earned praise in outlets like Exclaim!, Uproxx’s IndieCast, and The Alt, and won MusicNL’s 2022 Alternative Recording of the Year.
PRAISE FOR THAT'S OK
"All heart-on-sleeve verses, chiming chords, mathy finger tapped guitar breakdowns and lead swapping vocals, That’s OK signals precious nostalgia for the mid-2000s emo boom, but it avoids the pitfalls of the genre’s gendered myopia and toxicity by anchoring its personal loss and defeat to geopolitical abandonment."
- Tom Beedham, New Feeling
ABOUT more of the same
More of the Same marked Swimming’s introduction to the That’s OK era. The EP takes its name from the tone of the songs, which all share the same key as well as the EP’s artwork, which is heavily reminiscent of the artwork for Swimming’s 2019 bandcamp exclusive demo. A noticeably different sounding release in the Swimming catalogue, this EP flows seamlessly, almost like a suite in 4 parts. Tracks like “Trivia” and “Gower Tower” are upbeat and could easily find their place in any swimming release, while “Christmas Eve 2016” evokes atmospheric bedroom pop. The dirgey closer “Words For Moving On” is reminiscent of late-career Title Fight, and brings the EP to an unnerving, but calm close.
PRAISE FOR more of the same
"For about six minutes, Swimming invites us into a world where the floor is sticky with beer and your roommate’s crumbs, the truth really is out there, and math-rock-inspired guitar riffs dot the songs like stars in the night sky."
- Laura Stanley, Dominionated
ABOUT
Swimming keeps it's head above water by conjuring mathy, Midwestern-emo vibes, all the way from the eastern reaches of Canada. Angular drums and noodly guitar work lay a bed for Swimming's yearning lyrics, which paint pictures of the band's upbringing and experience in Newfoundland. Their debut LP "That's OK" gained traction in 2021 with editorial nods from Spotify and Apple Music. Spending the following years touring Eastern Canada, the members of Swimming have worked diligently to shine a spotlight on the thriving music scene that they have helped cultivate in their home province. Their sophomore record "Old" releases February 21, 2025 through No Funeral & Barely There Records.