New Music: New Swears – “And the Magic of Horses”
Earlier this summer, Ottawa’s party-punks released their third album, And the Magic of Horses, keeping alive their streak of putting out an album every two years since their debut in 2013.
We are a little late to the party on this one, but it has been a hectic summer here. The boys in New Swears signed on with Dine Alone Records in late 2016, setting the stage for more new music and a lot of touring.
And the Magic of Horses is another fun-filled record featuring tons of sing along and clapping moments, with sprinkles of mosh-inducing build ups, group harmonies, and fun riffs to carry you through the summer. The opening track “Dance With the Devil” sets the stage for the whole album, as it has a little bit of everything mentioned above. It doesn’t take much to see how they could spice it up even more and have some fun with it live.
This album goes well beyond their usual focus on all-day partying and raucous—but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of that, it’s just not the focal point of every track. The band explores more existential subjects like life, death, friendship, screwing up, and legacy. It is great progress to witness, and what is even better is how they have done it without losing their edge and fun which they have become synonymous with. I’m sure having Paul “Yogi” Granger record the album certainly didn’t hurt at all either.
I am a big fan of the closing track “Walkin’ to Rockin'” which is a great little slow burning track about their love for playing music together and rocking out. They sing “I don’t want to see another daylight unless I’m playing rock n roll, telling jokes and twisting it up, hanging with the boys on the open road.” They want to keep playing music and walk right into rock n’ roll’s warm embrace, and so do we.
Have a listen to And the Magic of Horses for yourself below and witness the evolution of New Swears.