Album Review: The Swellers - 'Running Out Of Places To Go'

It wasn’t too long ago that I caught The Swellers when the band rolled into Oz.  Twenty bucks I was glad to have spent.

The Swellers were funny, endearing and were just a pleasure to watch. It was also apparently one of the first nights they’d played 'Running Out of Places to Go', the titular track from their independently released EP. However, is this something they say to all of the crowds.

It’s their first independent effort since their departure from Fueled by Ramen and clocks in at around fifteen minutes, which is probably about standard for a five-track EP. It’s not the strongest quarter of an hour they’ve crafted, but it contains fleeting signs that there's a lot of gas left in their tank.

'Hands' kicks the EP off in an energetic fashion, with Jono Diener’s simplistic, tinny snare that leads in the dirty chords and keeps a steady rhythm throughout. The beautiful thing about punk music is how they seemingly jam so much into only a few minutes. This track is under three minutes and still finds the time for a corking guitar solo.

It has always felt The Swellers set themselves apart from the hoi polloi of punk music simply thanks to their melodies and incredible vocal harmonies that often call on both Diener brothers and bassist, Anto Boros, to execute. The group is at their absolute best when they break into a gang chant, usually over a huge outro.

And, while the three middle tracks aren’t all that flash, the closing and titular track of the EP really showcases these amazing vocal harmonies and stands out as the clear hit of the record. If The Swellers were a group to fill stadiums, this’d be their anthem. As far as chants go, this is as big as they come; it is hairs standing on the back of your neck stuff.

I take it with great sincerity when The Swellers belt out lyrics like “I miss my bed, but I can’t remember how it feels compared to yours, or any other, but thank you for letting me into your home.” The message is clear, but what shines through in their exhausted efforts and their independent debut, The Swellers wouldn't trade it for anything.

1. Hands
2. Let Me In
3. Bad For Me
4. Making Waves
5. Running Out Of Places To Go