If Swirlies aren’t purely a shoegaze band by definition, they feel like honorary shoegazers in the sense that the peak of their popularity has occurred some 30 years after their initial creative apex. Like Drop Nineteens before them, this burst in popularity seems to have roused them from the indefinite hiatus that followed their final record in 2003, resulting in a string of live appearances—as well as a reissued version of that LP, Cats of the Wild: Volume Two, planned for release exclusively at their upcoming run of North American live dates kicking off on Halloween (all remaining copies will be listed online at the tail end of the tour, the band assures us).
In the meantime, Swirlies are sharing a new video for the Cats of the Wild cut “Give Us Moon Rocks!”—a power-scuzz ballad that nearly sounds contemporary, given the number of bands lately that mine this intersection of lo-fi pop, slacker-punk, and sound collage (think Spirit of the Beehive playing a Guided by Voices cover set). “The video is a celebration of the pastime of candlepin bowling, a grand New England tradition,” the band shares, introducing the clip created in collaboration with Franck Cordes. “In a psychedelic mode, the video offers a sneak peek into the inner workings of the Sneaky Flute Empire.”
Who do they think they are, I am! Find more info on the re-release—which will be made available to non-showgoers on November 11—here, and find tickets for their upcoming live dates here.
