Jimmy Hartridge, Swervedriver’s lead guitarist since 1989, was once quoted as saying, “If you had four songs ready-ish, you would record them there and then and put them all out ASAP. No such thing as ‘saving songs for the album’ back then.” The band’s new EP, The World’s Fair, is Swervedriver’s first collection of new material in just over six years and, for better or worse, is a testament to Hartridge’s statement.
In the early years of the band’s existence, Swervedriver were often lumped in with other British shoegaze acts who were popular at the time though they never had an LP as critically lauded as, say, MBV’s Loveless or Slowdive’s Souvlaki. An increasing interest in American alternative rock in the mid to late nineties found Swervedriver leaning into their heavier inclinations, taking on a more grunge-influenced sound.
It’s worth noting that the Oxford, England alternative rock act aren’t strangers to downtime. In 1998, after four studio albums and seven EPs, and more record label and management drama in two years then any band should have to endure in its entire existence, Swervedriver took a nine-year hiatus. The band returned in the late aughties, releasing the LP I Wasn’t Born to Lose You in 2015 and Future Ruins four years later.
The four songs on The World’s Fair are a mixed bag in terms of quality. “Pack Yr Vision” starts things off strong, providing interesting chord changes and an uplifting, thoughtful chorus anchored by an angular lead guitar line. Frontman Adam Franklin’s vocals sound strong, proving the English Evan Dando charm he’s always had is still intact. “Volume Control”, on the other hand, attempts to pack too much into its 3:50 runtime. The shoegaze-inspired guitar groans feel rushed, and the staccato drumming, while good, loses its dynamism due to the lack of tension in the song’s melody.
The EP’s title track introduces a piano into the mix. The moment starts decent enough but falls into a boring refrain one minute in that only exists to loop things back around to what was put forth initially. This pattern repeats interminably until the last twenty seconds when an idiosyncratic guitar lead is plucked out. The World’s Fair is concluded with “Time Attacks”, which, with its soaring chorus and better than average production, does a fair job of recouping some of the face lost from the EP’s middle two tracks.
Had the first and last songs here been paired as the A and B sides to a single, it would have made for a much more enjoyable listening experience. As a four-song EP, the World’s Fair’s limp center duo torpedo this thankfully brief collection.
Rating: 5.0/10
