King Hannah – ‘Big Swimmer’ album review: A mischievous, modern take on ’90s alternative
THE SKINNY: There are few eras in music history that are quite as cool as the 1990s alternative scene. Guitar bands couldn’t contain themselves, reinventing the instrument over and over again, overwhelming it with feedback and reverb and pedals or rejecting it entirely in favour of atmospheric electronic production. The shoegazers, the trip-hoppers, the grunge scene, each have been revered and referenced in its own way, and King Hannah are the latest to pay tribute.
On their sophomore record, Big Swimmer, the influence of the gritty guitar music that preceded them is in almost every strum and every shrugged lyric. There are sultry, Portishead-esque ballads and delicately driving guitars in the image of Sonic Youth, each brought to life by Hannah Merrick’s playful contemporary vocals.
It makes sense that Sonic Youth, in particular, have had an influence on King Hannah’s newest offering. Following the release of their debut, the Liverpudlian duo accompanied Thurston Moore on the road, an experience that has informed the creation of Big Swimmer in its sound as well as its content.
As noisy guitars swirl beneath the surface, Merrick tells tales of their time on tour, of all the mundanities they observed for a moment, but that exist beyond their fleeting visits. It makes for a hauntingly hypnotic collection of songs for the most part, but 1990s guitar music isn’t the only genre that finds its way into the soundscapes of Big Swimmer.
When King Hannah aren’t borrowing from the aloof alternative scene that preceded them, they dip into the modern indie folk realm with features from Sharon Van Etten. Their efforts in this area are solid, as soft and subdued as any track you’d find on a sad girl indie playlist, but they’re nowhere near as captivating as their slightly edgier leanings.
For fans of: Music that makes you feel a whole lot cooler than you actually are.
A concluding comment from my boyfriend: ”It sounds like a super-group made up of members of Dry Cleaning and Bar Italia. But for some reason, Adrienne Lenker is also there. She’s not invited, but she keeps turning up.”
‘Big Swimmer’ track by track:
Release date: May 31st | Producer: Ali Chant | Label: City Slang
‘Big Swimmer’ (ft. Sharon Van Etten): A soft strum and a Sharon Van Etten feature may lull listeners into a false sense of familiarity at the outset of Big Swimmer. The titular track, with its subdued guitars and gentle harmonies floating just atop, is much daintier than what’s to come. [3/5]
‘New York, Let’s Do Nothing’: King Hannah settle into their murkier, more mischievous side with ‘New York, Let’s Do Nothing’. Everyday conversations are recalled lazily over swirling guitars, coming into their own with a driving riff that punctuates singer Hannah Merrick’s desire to do nothing. [3.5/5]
‘The Mattress’: Merrick’s voice turns from sarcastic to sultry on ‘The Mattress’, which envisions its titular object floating – or flying. While her delivery errs somewhere between Bond theme and Beth Gibbons, the instrumentation matches up, half grit, half grandeur. [3.5/5]
‘Milk Boy (I Love You)’: Foreboding guitar parts evoke the alternative sound of the ’90s on ‘Milk Boy (I Love You)’, a track in which King Hannah’s time touring with Thurston Moore becomes all the more evident. In the lyrics, too, Merrick. [4/5]
‘Suddenly, Your Hand’: King Hannah set their ’90s alternative influences aside for a moment on the sprawling ‘Suddenly, Your Hand’, which returns to softer, more subdued territory. It’s a pretty track, but it lacks the spunk of what came before. [3/5]
‘Somewhere Near El Paso’: King Hannah strike the balance a little more seamlessly on ‘Somewhere Near El Paso’, which stretches its slow, foreboding energy over eight minutes of grinding guitars. “That was a bad decision,” Merrick warns over and over, until the song devolves into instrumental dread. [4/5]
‘Lily Pad’: King Hannah keep their cool on ‘Lily Pad’, a quietly driving track that shows off the best of Merrick’s haunting vocals and of a simple but striking guitar line. It’s an unrelenting track, again ending with a swirling mass of guitars. [4/5]
‘Davey Says’: ‘Davey Says’ isn’t quite as distinctive. It’s a solid indie rock track that sees Craig Whittle join Merrick on vocals, and it would fit into Spotify’s ‘melomania’ playlist seamlessly, but it’s missing that special something that marks out so many other tracks on Big Swimmer. [3/5]
‘Scully’: As we approach the end, King Hannah provide us a tiny instrumental interlude that could serve as the perfect intro. It’s the sound of twiddled thumbs and liminal spaces, a riff that repeats itself but never becomes tedious. [3.5/5]
‘This Wasn’t Intentional’ (ft. Sharon Van Etten): ‘Scully’ may sound like an epilogue, but King Hannah aren’t quite done just yet. They rope Van Etten back in for the penultimate track, ‘This Wasn’t Intentional’. Haunting and hypnotic, it blends the dark with the light seamlessly. [3.5/5]
‘John Prine On The Radio’: King Hannah round things out with an ode to John Prine, infusing their guitars with country-folk stylings in his honour. With his voice blaring through the radio, the pair find satisfaction in the everyday. [3.5/5]
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