Swimming Tapes bask in a coat of familiar indie-pop gold with new single "Set The Fire"

23 May 2016, 11:00 | Written by Rich Thane

(Tracks)

(Swimming Tapes)

London newcomers Swimming Tapes usher in the summer with "Set The Fire", an assured dose of sad-face indie that follows on from debut single "Souvenirs" and furthermore stakes their claim as one of the most promising young bands we've heard this year.

Just as it's hard not to dive deep into the hipster book of adjectives in describing Swimming Tapes' music, it's also impossible not to flag up the five-piece group's reference points. From the gauzy romantic nostalgia of early-era The Radio Dept. that seeps with the melodic grace of Belle & Sebastien to the cut-and-paste aesthetic applied to their artwork, feeling like a knowing throwback to Sarah Records.

The resulting package is indie-pop gold; there's nothing new at play but the feelings that the music evokes are so familiar that it just works and instantly causes one's heart to swell. Complete greatness clothed in a simplistic, understated charm. Needless to say, we're totally smitten.