The August 26th release features 11 songs produced by Ted Niceley (Fugazi), Matt Goldman (Cartel, Underoath), and Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins). and mixed by Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Garbage).
In the last few years, pop-punk and emo have become much darker genres: subject matters have finally graduated high school and are moving on to our more valid existential crises. Music journalism has caught on to this important shift, and is focusing on music emerging from regions of the country outside of New York and Los Angeles. The Southeast, where rock finds its roots, is seeing an increasing amount of attention for a new crop of talented and innovative indie bands.
In Atlanta, Georgia, The Swear – led by a fierce songwriter who’s been known to hang out in graveyards – has been growing and readying for the release of their debut LP, Hotel Rooms And Heart Attacks. That songwriter is singer/guitarist Elizabeth Elkins, a Grand Prize Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and showcasing Finalist in Disc Makers’ 2006 Southeast Independent Music World Series.
On this album, her sharp-witted lyrics and clever compositions shine, skillfully mixing influences ranging from Lost Generation literature and Billy Joel to Social Distortion and Garbage. The album is ripe with stand-out tracks. The heavy guitar riffs in “History Of Cinema” bounce off of Elkins’ undeniably strong voice – creating a goth-pop concoction ready for radio. “The City That Never,” which clocks in at nearly six minutes, is a lush and lyrical epic. The pop hooks evident in tracks such as “The Violence Rings” and “Some Graves are Stolen” make it clear the whole band excels at ear candy.
Elkins is recognized in Atlanta as a no-bullshit, hard-working musician that breaks apart the female frontwoman paradigm. But The Swear is more importantly the sum of its parts – an amalgamation of influences ranging from Elkins’ T.S. Eliot fixation to guitarist/co-writer Jeremy Zamora’s love of Hot Water Music to bass player Kevin Williams’ Kiss obsession and drummer Jerod Snider’s hardcore history.
“We all have very different influences and I think we manage to scar, hide and possibly destroy each others’ direct influences in the writing process,” says Elkins.
Zamora adds, “What I try and do with my writing is the same thing I like about my favorite records – I try not to be afraid of venturing off of what we or they are ‘supposed’ to do or sound like.”
If there could be one word, though to describe The Swear, it is focused. Whether their songs lean less into the mainstream, or are a straight up radio hit melody, the lyrics, music, and band chemistry is fierce, clean and tight. Hotel Rooms And Heart Attacks is a song-by-song success of pairing their efforts with producers Ted Niceley (Fugazi), Matt Goldman (Cartel, Underoath) and Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins). Mixed by Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Garbage), the album is an 11- song testament to the band’s pop sensibility and punk rock ethic. It’s no surprise that they are so loved back home.
“There’s a little punk, a little pop, and maybe even a little country hidden in there somewhere,” says Elkins. “Though if Jeremy heard me say country, he’d probably slap me.”
Press / Publicity:
vicki@planetarygroup.com
617.275.7675
“Inhabiting territory between Patti Smith's pissed-off snarl and Chrissy Hynde's melodic meow, Elizabeth Elkins balances on a creative tightrope spanning punk and pop.” –Creative Loafing
“Sometimes you just dig a good pop song where the guitarists are punching and jabbing through the melody and groove in a way that truly lifts things up. In this regard, Elizabeth Elkins and Jeremy Zamora are rock warriors with total command of meaty riffs, feedback swells, dynamics, and churning, crunching chords." –Guitar Player
The Swear’s record release party is in Atlanta the day after the 2008 IMWS showcase! Check them out if you’re in town.
Friday, September 12th
10 High
816 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
http://theswear.com
http://www.myspace.com/theswear
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