If you’re a fan of West Coast garage rock and you haven’t jumped into Flat Worms’ discography at any point over the past six years, you’ve still more than likely encountered at least one of the trio’s members: vocalist/guitarist Will Ivy played with Hunx and His Punx while bassist Tim Sullivan has recently put in time with the ever-evolving Oh Sees and drummer Justin Sullivan held down the kit with Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone’s short-lived project The Babies. Yet as Flat Worms, the trio have explored everything from garage rock to dance punk, with their third and latest LP Witness Marks leaning heavily into post-punk conventions.
After unveiling plans for the new record (which arrives September 22 via Ty Segall’s Drag City imprint God? Records) last month, the group are sharing the project’s second single “Suburban Swans,” which applies clanging guitar and tight percussion to a frustrated narrative of busting out of the constricting monotony of suburban life. “The last time we were in the UK, I learned that every mute swan in all of England legally belongs to the royal family,” Ivy shared regarding the song’s title in a press statement. “In the swan’s mind, it is free, living its life as a wild animal. It is totally unaware of the system in which it has been claimed as property by a human establishment.
“This made me think about freewill, the perception of freewill, or the lack thereof,” he continued. “Growing up in suburban Arizona, I felt stuck, angsty, so eager to break out and pursue my own life and independence. This place, this time, this experience barely even feels like it happened to the same person now. Since I left, my family has all left this neighborhood. More and more stucco structures become less and less unique, making all the places we are from harder to distinguish from one another. The memories begin to decay with nobody there to maintain a presence. What are memories worth if they are as intangible as dreams? If we have no control over our own narratives, maybe we are not so different from the swans.”
Less free-wheeling than prior single “Time Warp in Exile”—which structurally recalled Oh Sees’ familiar prog-garage arcs of the mid-’10s—“Suburban Swans” is an equally enticing taste of what’s to come. Check it out below.
