Swim Deep

Born in Birmingham in 2011 around Austin Williams, Swim Deep first emerged from Digbeth’s B-Town scene with an indie pop sound nourished by dream pop, shoegaze and baggy and new wave references. After early tracks circulated online and a signing with Chess Club/RCA, Swim Deep released Where the Heaven Are We in 2013, a debut of hazy guitars and supple melodies. The band evolved its aesthetic on Mothers (2015), where pop songwriting opened up to psychedelic textures and rhythms influenced by acid house and the Balearic beat. Several lineup changes accompanied the making of Emerald Classics, released in 2019, a broader, brighter record recorded after the departure of longstanding members. In 2022 Swim Deep issued the collaborative EP Familiarise Yourself with Your Closest Exit, featuring Phoebe Green, Hatchie and Dept, in a more direct, vaporous pop vein. The group continued that trajectory on There's a Big Star Outside, released in 2024 and produced by Bill Ryder-Jones, where Swim Deep refines a more sensitive songwriting approach without abandoning its blend of psychedelic pop, British indie and dreamy soundscapes.