Swearin' announce first album for Merge, share "Grow into a Ghost"

July 24, 2018

After Philly indie-punks Swearin’ broke up in 2015, co-lead-singer Allison Crutchfield released a synthy solo album on Merge Records in 2017, and then earlier this year, Swearin’ returned to tour with Merge founders Superchunk. They’ve now announced a new album, which is also on Merge, Fall into the Sun, their first since 2013’s great Surfing Strange (which came out on Salinas Records). Now a trio of Allison Crutchfield, co-lead-singer Kyle Gilbride, and drummer Jeff Bolt (bassist and sometimes-vocalist Keith Spencer is not part of the reunited lineup), the band self-produced the album and Kyle recorded it “in various makeshift recording studios.”

The first taste of Fall into the Sun is the Allison Crutchfield-sung “Grow into a Ghost,” which shows Allison transitioning very naturally back into punky indie rock, following the more electronic excursions of her solo material. It’s got catchy, crunchy hooks, and it really says “Swearin’ is back.” Listen below. The album drops October 5 via Merge, and pre-orders are available here.

As mentioned, Swearin’ have many more 2018 tour dates coming up, including two Portland shows opening for Jawbreaker, and a headlining run with Empath opening that hits Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 20 (tickets). All dates are listed below.

In recent related news, Waxhatchee (the project of Allison’s twin sister Katie Crutchfield, who have shared members with Swearin’ live and on album) is releasing a new EP, Great Thunder, which features music originally written for the now-defunct recording project of the same name (which was the duo of Katie Crutchfield and former Swearin’ bassist Keith Spencer). The songs were written while Katie was also writing the Waxahatchee albums Cerulean Salt and Ivy Tripp, though these are new recordings that Katie made with producer Brad Cook (of Megafaun) at April Base, the studio run by Brad’s old friend and frequent collaborator Justin Vernon. The Great Thunder EP will be out on September 7 via Merge (pre-order), and you can watch the Christopher Good-directed video for lead single “Chapel of Pines” below.

Waxahatchee is also going on a solo tour, including a run with Night Shop and Anna St. Louis that hits NYC’s Bell House on 9/9 (tickets) and LPR on 9/10 (tickets). All dates are listed below.

Swearin – Fall into the Sun Tracklist
Big Change 3:04
Dogpile 3:07
Grow into a Ghost 3:12
Margaret 2:14
Stabilize 4:42
Untitled (LA) 3:05
Treading 2:58
Oil and Water 3:04
Smoke or Steam 2:58
Anyway 2:11
Future Hell 2:47

Swearin’ — 2018 Tour Dates
Aug 01 San Diego, CA – The Whistle Stop*
Aug 02 Los Angeles, CA – Highland Park Ebell Club*
Aug 03 San Jose, CA – The Ritz*
Aug 05 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey*
Aug 06 Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret*
Aug 07 Portland, OR – Doug Fir*
Aug 09 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop*
Aug 10 Fresno, CA – Strummer’s*
Aug 11 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s*
Aug 17 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom#
Aug 18 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom#
Sep 05 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar^
Sep 06 Richmond, VA – Strange Matter^
Sep 07 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Fest
Oct 09 Washington, DC – Black Cat%
Oct 10 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church+
Oct 11 Allston, MA – Great Scott+
Oct 12 Portsmouth, NH – The Press Room+
Oct 13 Montreal, QC – La Vitrola+
Oct 14 Toronto, ON – Not Dead Yet
Oct 16 Detroit, MI – El Club+
Oct 17 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups+
Oct 18 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall+
Oct 19 Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo+
Oct 20 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg+

* w/ Mike Krol
# w/ Jawbreaker
^ w/ Ought
% w/ Sheer Mag
+ w/ Empath

Waxahatchee – Great Thunder EP Tracklist
1. Singer’s No Star
2. You’re Welcome
3. Chapel of Pines
4. You Left Me With an Ocean
5. Slow You Down
6. Takes So Much

Waxhatchee (solo) — 2018 Tour Dates
Aug 04 Missoula, MT – Travelers’ Rest Festival
Sep 05 Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre*
Sep 06 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Fest
Sep 08 Washington, DC – Miracle Theatre*
Sep 09 Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House*
Sep 10 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge*
Sep 12 Pittsburgh, PA – The Warhol*
Sep 13 Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House*
Sep 14 Cleveland, OH – Survival Kit Gallery*
Sep 15 Toronto, ON – Bloor Street United Church*
Sep 16 Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Theatre*
Sep 17–22 Lincoln, NE – Lincoln Calling
Sep 18 Madison, WI – Mineral Point Opera House*
Sep 21 Lawrence, KS – The White Schoolhouse*
Sep 28 Philadelphia, PA – Philly Music Fest @ World Cafe Live
Sep 29 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre^
Sep 30 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre^
Oct 02 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren^
Oct 03 San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park^
Oct 05 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre^
Oct 06 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Oct 08 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre^
Oct 09 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre^
Oct 10 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre^
Oct 11 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom^
Oct 12 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom^
Oct 17 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre^
Oct 21 Boston, MA – House of Blues^
Oct 23 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore^
Oct 25 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works^
Oct 27 Austin, TX – Stubb’s^
Nov 17 Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre (The Complete Last Waltz)