The new album from Swearin' is cathartic and irresistible

Bursting with relatable regrets, recognisable pangs of nostalgia and twenty-something angst, Fall into the Sun plays out like the mixtape you made the too-cool older girl in high school, the one who introduced you to Sebadoh and had Pixies badges on her schoolbag. Segueing through a litany of ‘90s inspired indie-pop and college rock, bands such as Pavement, Built to Spill, Beat Happening and even Jawbreaker are all at times brought to the fore across the records 11 tracks.

Rather than feel disjointed though, Fall into the Sun flows cohesively, even with the lead vocals alternating between Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride on each track. Opening with just a fuzz-laden guitar and trademark Crutchfield’s drawl-like delivery, "Big Change" feels like a welcome and autumnal embrace, and, fittingly titled, introduces listeners to the older, wiser and more open iteration of Swearin’.

It’s the following track "Dogpile" that introduces record’s sweet-sour dichotomy however. Replacing the crunching power-pop of the album’s opener with the spacious, Pavement-esque college rock that populates those tracks in which Gilbride takes the lead. It’s also here, however, where Fall into the Sun also appears to lose a degree of its personality; Gilbride’s influences perhaps worn a little too plainly when literally paired next to the sugary angst of Crutchfield.

Of course, this shouldn’t deter listeners from investing in what’s an otherwise excellent release. The expansive closing half of "Stabilize" for instance, or the loping and woozy "Oil and Water" all belie the apparent simplicity gleaned from background listening. A record that speaks to its audience because Swearin’ are their audience, Fall into the Sun is a cathartic, moreish and ultimately enjoyable record that signals not just a welcome return for the trio, but a step up as well.