Swervedriver

Bridging both the harsh, tattered scowl of the grunge movement and the dreamy fuzz of the shoegaze scene, Swervedriver were cult indie favourites in the UK and US in the early 1990s, describing their sound as 'space travel rock & roll'. Guitarists Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge originally began playing together in Oxford in the mid-'80s with Stooges and MC5-influenced outfit Shake Appeal, but the emergence of Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du and a new generation of scorched, angular, experimental alternative bands in the US later inspired them to change direction. With Franklin taking over as front man, the first Swervedriver line-up was completed by bassist Adi Vines and drummer Graham Bonnar in 1989 with early EPs 'Son of Mustang Ford' and 'Rave Down' full of escapist road tales with blasting, swirling riffs. As part of a fondly remembered Creation Records roster that also included Ride, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine, their debut album 'Raise' captured the foggy indie rock sound of the era, but with Jez Hindmarsh taking over on drums and Steve George on bass, it was follow-up 'Mezcal Head' in 1993 that had a more distinct, snarling edge and cut through the dense, psychy swamp of distorted guitars. The arrival of Brit-pop saw a demise in the popularity of the shoegaze sound, but through record company disputes and a multitude of problems, Swervedriver continued on with the cleaner, sprawling guitar-pop gem 'Ejection Seat Reservation' in 1995 and the lush, jangly garage rock of '99th Dream' in 1998, before they reached the end of the road in 1999. Franklin went on to make electro-rock experiments under the name Toshack Highway and formed Magnetic Morning, collaborating with Sam Fogarino from Interpol. Swervedriver reformed for a reunion tour that began with a performance at Coachella Festival in 2008 and they continued to play live regularly, but a 17-year gap between albums passed before they finally released new material with 'I Wasn't Born to Lose You' in 2015. Still baring the band's hallmarks of textured layers of grizzly, grumbling guitar swell and floating vapors of dreamy melodies, they returned again in 2019 with 'Future Ruins', released through Mogwai's Rock Action Records.

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