Indie Light

It was a damp warm day in May and the clocks were striking funk-teen.  That’s my memory of Double Talk releasing their anticipated new single “Swimming” anyway. After teasing a big reveal on the socials, the Australian-British Groove Pop trio have given us their latest disco jam. And in true Orwellian fashion I’d like to remind you that this band has never changed their name, this site has always been called Indie Light, and we have never been at war with Eurasia.

Maybe it’s just the suggestion from the name, but “Swimming” sounds like diving into a pool in slo-mo. The guitars are drenched in effects, the keys are like drips and splashes on the surface, and the constant percussion are the echoes in your ears. The instrumental parts are built in a way that sometimes makes it difficult to tell what you’re hearing. Is that a guitar or a synth? A bass or a keyboard? It isn’t always clear, but that’s what gives it the sense of being underwater. It’s just on that fun side of being disoriented, like when you’re hanging in mid air at the top of a roller-coaster, or when you sink that fifth pint.

When I heard the track, I reached for my bass to try and jam along and figure out what I was hearing. One thing I realised is that although “Swimming” is recorded on many more instruments than there are band members, there isn’t a lot of movement in terms of chord progressions and tonality. Even in the extended instrumental bridge, where you may expect to stick your head above the water and take your first deep breath since diving in at the start, you might predict this is where a big pop key change would happen. What you get, instead, is a barrage of metallic percussion instruments to drive the tune forward while the bass thumps away on a pedal note as a foundation for a psychedelic guitar solo. But it’s all in the same place as the verse and chorus. It’s a grand example of doing more with less, especially when it’s done this subtly.

In this track Double Talk sings about how they feel “like every city, like every street”. To me every city can look great from a distance, but up close there’s always broken glass on the pavements, tire marks on the roads, and graffiti on the park benches. Maybe this is the undercurrent to “Swimming”. That even though on the surface it’s optimistic, it’s all groovy, that in order to be “looking up high” …you have to be looking from a lower place. So, revel in the joyous parts of life. Put “Swimming” in your ears, wear your comfy cardigan, and don’t let the water hold you down.

Double Talk are currently touring Europe and will be playing around Australia in the Summer, “Swimming” will feature on the band’s upcoming album “Lips and Bloops” which drops this September. 

To find their socials and information on their upcoming gigs you can click here. And if you’d like to find out a little bit more about the band check out our interview with them by clicking here.