London-located alternative rock band The Swagger brings the grit and strut of classic British rock and the distorted U.S. grunge style of the 1990s to its debut self-titled EP which will see release on July 22nd. The EP was produced by Graham Bonnar (Swervedriver, The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and recorded at Konk Studios in North London.
Brothers Lee Stevens (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Paul Stevens (lead guitar, backing vocals) are joined by Will O’Connell (bass) and Roger Malaquias (drums) as The Swagger and they have over 100 original songs in their repertoire to hone down into a debut album. The band members’ plan is to go into the studio by the end of the year to shape their debut for its release in 2017.
The Swagger cruises and heaves through the 4 tracks on the EP, starting out at a leisurely pace on EP-lead “She’s Gonna Blow My Mind”. Lee Stevens strolls lightly through the lyrics, “I feel lonely / and I feel cold / I’m hangin’ on / and not letting go.” amid controlled jabs of electric guitar and a gently pushy drum-set pace. As he drifts into the chorus, the guitar lines churn and burn with a higher intensity and the drum patter kicks it up with added cymbal hits.
Next number “Stoned” stirs with an energetic swagger and aura of danger. The guitar lines sharply swirl with distorted menace and the drum and cymbals beat out a bashing and crashing tattoo. The tempo speeds up into an alt-rock moshpit roil and Lee Stevens’ vocals sound like a grizzled hard rocker, with a touch of hoarseness to his raw exclamations. “Keep On Fighting” continues to electrify with a rockin’ blaze of guitars and emphatic drumkit strikes. Lee Stevens shouts with punk attitude on the verses, and then smoothes out on the chorus, declaring “Keep on fighting ‘til the war is won.”
Last tune “Ride” is still imbued with a grungy alt-rock style, but the pace is more settled than on the previous tracks. Relatively subdued guitar lines and a measured drum pace create a calmer atmosphere while Lee Stevens clearly proclaims, “Now she’s on the road to nowhere / She’s got the devil in her eyes / She’s gonna take the wrong direction…” The Swagger, however, is going in the right direction (especially on “Stoned” and “Keep On Fighting”), crafting gritty and grungy hard rock music that recalls classic rock bands from both sides of the Atlantic.