Flat Worms have today released their new single titled ‘Suburban Swans’ from their upcoming album ‘Witness Marks’, dropping September 22nd via God? Records.
The song is one of those slow churn type of bangers that announces itself like a cool kid entering the room. Sonically gritty guitar work overlaid on a dirty bassline with a suave goosestepping drumbeat. Add to that the announcement that is the quasi-slacker type vocals and you have an anthem for the enlightened.
“The last time we were in the UK, I learned that every mute swan in all of England legally belongs to the royal family. In the swan’s mind, it is free, living its life as a wild animal. It is totally unaware of the system in which it has been claimed as property by a human establishment. This made me think about freewill, the perception of freewill, or the lack thereof. Growing up in suburban Arizona, I felt stuck, angsty, so eager to break out and pursue my own life and independence. This place, this time, this experience barely even feels like it happened to the same person now. Since I left, my family has all left this neighborhood. More and more stucco structures become less and less unique, making all the places we are from harder to distinguish from one another. The memories begin to decay with nobody there to maintain a presence. What are memories worth if they are as intangible as dreams? If we have no control over our own narratives, maybe we are not so different from the swans.”
Will Ivy
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About ‘Witness Marks’
Flat Worms’ new record still has hints of the garage-punk of their past work but looks to 80s hardcore, as well as contemporaries like Viagra Boys, Fontaines DC, and Parquet Courts, to create an urgency that undergirds the emotional turmoil and loss that connects these songs and the three longtime friends and bandmates. Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others – sometimes, even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slate-grey discontent, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially.
Each member of Flat Worms, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Will Ivy, drummer Justin Sullivan (Kevin Morby) and bassist Tim Hellman (OSEES) have navigated through the depths of their personal hardships in the four years since the band released Antarctica in early 2020. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for the trio. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated their personal burdens by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/flatwormsband
https://flatwormsmusic.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Ssue4NKgXFwte9xe6azsu
