A. Swayze & The Ghosts return in a whole new way with new single ‘Cool Cucumber
Praise for A. Swayze & The Ghosts + ‘Paid Salvation’:
“end-to-end faultless” - Kitty Empire, The Observer (★★★★★)
“Paid Salvation is worth the entrance fee” - Andrew Perry, MOJO (★★★★)
“a confident debut from one of the more impassioned and exhilarating bands around.” - Narzra Ahmed, The Line of Best Fit (8/10)
“an intelligent, considered and passionate collection of art punk anthems with a smirking pop edge” - Ali Shuter, NME
“punches and swaggers its way into view as an enjoyable pop-laden record pure with immediate energy.” - Jamie Muir, DORK (★★★★)
“Impassioned, intelligent punk” - Bella Martin, DIY
Feature Album - Double J
ARIA-nominated - Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
AIR-nominated - Best Independent Punk Album or EP
nipaluna/Hobart founded, ARIA-nominated and internationally-acclaimed rollickers A. Swayze & The Ghosts today share their new single + video ‘Cool Cucumber’ and announce three small ‘n’ sweaty live shows in Eora/Sydney, Naarm/Melbourne and nipaluna/Hobart this May (full details below). ‘Cool Cucumber’ lyrically and sonically melds A. Swayze & The Ghosts’ post-punk roots with dance-music-meets-70s-New-York-punk, bringing their self-described “Bowie-punk” sound to life. ‘Cool Cucumber’ is out everywhere now - stream/watch HERE.
First making their mark with their “end to end faultless” (The Observer UK), ARIA & AIR Award-nominated debut album ‘Paid Salvation,’ A. Swayze & The Ghosts continually push the bounds of what it is to be “punk”, most recently emerging from a touring hiatus during which they turned inwards to reflect on their place as a band. They found themselves, for the first time, shedding their old ideals to make music free from community expectations, driven by the urgency of liberating from the creative shackles they had subconsciously placed on themselves. On ‘Cool Cucumber’, which was produced by the band and mixed by Andy Savours (Arctic Monkeys, Rina Sawayama, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), they expand their sound, synthesisers and saxophones are brought into the mix to compliment their frantic urgency; its spacious groove an invitation to just-damn-dance, marking a new chapter for a band that has consistently pushed boundaries and norms with their expression as artists and performers.
Of ‘Cool Cucumber’, their enigmatic frontman Andrew Swayze shares, “This song represents our break from people's expectations, embracing a diverse sound that transcends previous releases. We intentionally moved away from familiar genres and attitudes, signalling our growth and evolution as artists.” In the ‘Cool Cucumber’ music video A. Swayze & The Ghosts bring this energy to life, with just the right mix of dancing, longing stares, and 80s-inspired cheese.
Andrew Swayze (he/him; vocals), Ben von Fürstenburg (he/him; guitar/synth), Zac Blain (he/him; drums) and touring members Kieran Daly (he/him; guitar) and Joe Berry (he/him; bass) - have been heralded for their frenetic live shows marked by the unrivalled charisma of Andrew Swayze, and their highly expressive and consistent creative output. Across their debut self-titled EP (2017) and debut album ‘Paid Salvation’ (2020), A. Swayze & The Ghosts, have become critically-acclaimed internationally, including nominations for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album (ARIA Awards) and Best Independent Punk Album or EP (AIR Awards), praise from The Observer, MOJO, BBC Radio 1, Beats One, CLASH Magazine, DORK, DIY and NME, Feature Album on Double J, Album of the Week on The Music, The AU Review and MTV Australia, and syncs on the recent remaster of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 Soundtrack (‘Connect To Consume’). They’ve taken their “unpredictable, risky and unhinged” (triple j) live show to Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, The Great Escape and Bigsound among others, plus support slots with Jet, The Vines, Shame, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Total Control and more. ‘Cool Cucumber’ is just the start for A. Swayze & The Ghosts in 2024, with more news from the band to follow in the coming months.
