Introducing: Swindled

With lush harmonies, intricate lyrics, and a theatrical edge, Swindled are a band you can’t ignore. Known for their ginger hair, shiny shoes, and choreographed movement, their live performances are as electrifying as they are unpredictable—a true spectacle of sound and style.

Following the success of their debut EP ‘COUNTING SHEEP’ and its acoustic counterpart ‘LEAVE THE BIG LIGHT ON’, Swindled is evolving. Their upcoming release, ‘WHAT A NIGHTMARE!’, marks a shift into a more mature, artistic sound, pushing their Art Pop identity to new heights.

With three singles set to drop in the coming months, Swindled are ready to redefine their sound—brace yourself for ‘WHAT A NIGHTMARE!’

Your upcoming EP What A Nightmare! marks a shift towards a more mature and artistic sound. What inspired this evolution, and how does it differ from Counting Sheep?

We think this EP is symbolic of our progression as human beings. 'Counting sheep' was 5 young teenagers in a room who realistically had a small idea what they intended to create. Years later, 'What A Nightmare' really shows our artistic development and how we've perhaps matured in time. 

Your live performances are known for their harmonies, intricate lyrics, and even choreographed movement. How do you approach creating such a visually and sonically engaging experience for your audience?

Playing live is our favourite part about being a band and perfecting our live craft is something we constantly chase. We firmly believe playing live is about moments. They are so many guitar based bands around so we asked ourselves what makes us different? Harmony has always been a part of our shows from the start it came natural to us. The choreographed movement came in rehearsal. We told ourselves to feel the music more when performing, naturally we began to move in the same way and it has stuck ever since, some planned, some totally in the moment.

Art Pop is a broad genre with so many influences. Who are some of your biggest inspirations, and how have they shaped the sound of this new era?

When it comes to influences it differs between all of us which we feel contributes to ur individual parts and overall sound. When crafting a song we often refrain from sending the song towards a certain genre and just let the song go the way we feel it should truly go, hence the variety of sound across 'What A Nightmare'. Collectively as a band we all are influenced by The Beatles and their work rate, how did they manage to stay so consistent in a short period of time. Also, we are influenced heavily by the 1975 and mainly their live show. 

The title What A Nightmare! suggests a theme of tension or surrealism. What stories or emotions are you exploring in this project?

'What A Nightmare' looks at the more mature side of modern life, looking at love, addiction and dissatisfaction with the world. It's a massive jump from the normal teenage problems 'Counting Sheep' spoke about. We wanted 'What A Nightmare' to describe the modern life in the most descriptive way possible.

With three singles leading up to the full release, what can fans expect from this new chapter, and how do you hope What A Nightmare! will redefine your place in the music scene?

Our main plan for this year to develop further than we did over the last previous years. We constantly want to improve and become better than past versions of ourselves. As well as this we want progress our relationships with the industry in the north east and we feel 'What A Nightmare' really contributes towards this.