Getting To Know: Current Swell

Vancouver Island-based indie rock band Current Swell is back with their highly anticipated new single, "Peacekeeper," produced by acclaimed producer Gus Van Go, known for his work with artists like The Beaches, Arkells, and Metric. This track delves into the delicate balance of maintaining harmony in relationships, exploring the idea of putting aside personal feelings to keep the peace. With their signature West Coast rock sound, Current Swell blends laid-back grooves with poignant lyrics that reflect the complexities of love and frustration.

Since winning the Peak Performance Project in 2011, Current Swell has captivated audiences around the globe, amassing over 60 million streams and selling out tours in North America, Brazil, and Europe. Their ability to tackle profound themes—ranging from unconditional love to the cycles of life—has solidified their place in the music scene. As they embark on this next chapter, the band, buoyed by the return of founding member Louis Sadava on bass, continues to create infectious tunes that resonate with listeners everywhere.

1. Your new single Peacekeeper explores the complexities of maintaining harmony in relationships. What inspired you to write about this theme, and how do you navigate the balance between honesty and keeping the peace in your own lives?

Scott Stanton: As a new father I have really come to realize just how much the mother does for the family and how much the father at times might feel a bit useless haha. At the end of the day, I feel like the best thing I can do is just to try to keep everybody happy...with any means necessary. 

2. Working with acclaimed producer Gus Van Go must have been a significant experience. How did his influence shape the sound of Peacekeeper, and what unique elements did he bring to the production process?

Dave Lang: working with Gus was great, re peacekeeper - we felt like he really got where we were going with the song and got really involved in shaping amazing drum and bass sounds…  the bass tone with his bat wing bass : chefs kiss!!  and just generally zooming in on every aspect of the song giving it space.  Neat thing about Gus is he kept the piano and some guitars and backups from our demo, just because he liked the vibe… the wonky freewheeling character of some of the parts. This shows Gus’ character, he doesn’t feel the need to redo everything his way or make it HiFi just because… a very authentic and cool trait of his.

3. The lyrics of Peacekeeper reflect a blend of laid-back grooves with a sense of underlying frustration. Can you talk about how you achieved this contrast in the music, and what message you hope listeners take away from it? 

Scott Stanton: The lyrics came quite quickly in this song. They were basically almost a freestyle that I ended up writing down, tweaking, then using. I wouldn't say as the writer/peacekeeper I'm the frustrated one, but when you see someone you love exhausted by the challenges of raising a child you just want to be there for them to figure it out together. I guess I just hope the listeners "takeaway" is that if you do good to people you can make a difference, and hopefully get it back. 

4. Since winning the Peak Performance Project in 2011, Current Swell has seen substantial success across multiple continents. How has your approach to songwriting and performing evolved during this journey, and what lessons have you learned along the way?

Scott Stanton: We did a solid decade of touring all over the world back then, and now we are keeping a pretty relaxed tour schedule as a bunch of us have young families. We have a fun new process of writing now. We make time to get together for a week here or there and casually let ideas develop - spur other new ideas, demo a bunch of stuff, and explore our own production tastes. When we get too busy touring there’s so little free time and you don’t often “want” to get back together and write and demo… bro vibes are flowing these days, and that's translated into these new songs. 

5. With the return of founding member Louis Sadava on bass, how has the band dynamic shifted? What impact has this had on your creative process and the sound of your music?

Scott & Dave: It was a natural transition to have Lou back in the band. We've been playing music together since we were kids. We have our brother back, our family back together and hopefully that translates into the music. It may sound a bit cheesy, but we feel pretty lucky to be a bunch of really close friends that just get to mess around and make music together.