Over the course of 2022, Tom Morris shared two new recordings through his project Swim Camp, which ranged from wispy lo-fi to a fusion of slowcore and shoegaze. Today he’s following those tracks up with another new single that lands somewhere in between while undoubtedly appealing to anyone who can still tell you exactly how long ago LVL UP split up. “Dougie (for Sharyl)” is the first single from Swim Camp’s newly announced project Steel Country—out February 24 on Julia’s War Recordings—and it was touched up from an earlier demo version that met the approval of Morris’ peers. “I recorded this song to tape in a cabin in the Poconos after my friend Sharyl heard the demo and insisted that it become a fully realized song, so it is largely for her,” he shares.
He adds that the upbeat-yet-downcast energy of the instrumental aims to match the song’s lyrics, which deal with reevaluating friendships that may bring out the worst in both parties. “This song is about developing a codependent friendship with someone who is not good for you,” he notes. “They support you but enable bad behavior. Ultimately this ends up being bad for everyone involved.”
Hear the track below, and expect Steel Country to arrive next month.
