SWMRS Share New Music Video for 'Drive North'
By: Caryn Robbins Sep. 15, 2017
Bay Area rock band SWMRS has released a new music video for track "Drive North" off their their critically acclaimed debut album Drive North. "We wanted to critique Los Angeles with the same kind of holier-than-thou contempt that Anthony Fantano approaches his subjects with. It's cheeky and in good fun, but maybe it points out a few glaring issues with that city," offered singer/guitarist Cole Becker on the inspiration for the clip.The video, which was directed by Ryan Baxley (FIDLAR, The Front Bottoms, Bleached), can be see
HERE.
In conjunction with the video's release, the band has also shared an interactive map for "The Pin Drop". Fans can upload a photo via instagram using geo/location tags and the hashtag #DriveNorth to drop their pins on the SWMRS Drive North map. The map can be seen HERE.
Last night, SWMRS kicked off a tour of Europe and the UK with support from The Regrettes. Next month the band will embark on a North American co-headline tour with Los Angeles ska-punk band The Interrupters that will kick off on October 13 in Seattle, WA and wrap on December 17th in Denver, CO. Sharp Shock will provide support on the West coast leg of the tour, and The Regrettes will provide support on the tour's East coast leg. Next February, SWMRS will support Rise Against on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. A complete list of upcoming live dates and ticket information is available HERE.
Upcoming SWMRS Live Dates
Europe and United Kingdom Headline Tour
September 16, 2017 - Aarau, Switzerland - Kiff
September 17, 2017 - Milano, Italy - Tunnel Club
September 19, 2017 - München, Germany - Kranhalle
September 20, 2017 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben
September 21, 2017 - Hamburg, Germany - REEPERBAHN
September 22, 2017 - Cologne, Germany - MTC
September 24, 2017 - Brussels, Belgium - AB
September 26, 2017 - Paris, France - Supersonic
September 29, 2017 - Southampton, United Kingdom - Joiners
September 30, 2017 - Leeds, United Kingdom - Key Club
October 01, 2017 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - Stereo
October 02, 2017 - Nottingham, United Kingdom - Bodega
October 04, 2017 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Academy 3
October 05, 2017 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - Mama Roux's
October 06, 2017 - London, United Kingdom - O2 Academy Islington
October 08, 2017 - Liverpool, United Kingdom - Buyers Club
October 09, 2017 - Dublin, Ireland - Fibber Magees
North American Co-Headline Tour with The Interrupters
October 13, 2017 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
October 14, 2017 - Portland, OR - Analog
October 15, 2017 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
October 16, 2017 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
October 18, 2017 - Las Vegas, NV - Club Vinyl
October 19, 2017 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theatre
October 21, 2017 - Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
October 22, 2017 - Anaheim, CA - Observatory
October 24, 2017 - Fresno, CA - Strummers
October 25, 2017 - Sacramento, CA - Holy Diver
October 26, 2017- Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
October 27, 2017 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda
October 28, 2017 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre
October 29, 2017 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
November 30, 2017 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
December 1, 2017 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
December 2, 2017 - Toronto, ONT - Opera House
December 3, 2017 - Montreal QUE - Club Soda
December 5, 2017 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
December 7, 2017 - Boston, MA - Paradise
December 8, 2017 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
December 9, 2017 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
December 10, 2017 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
December 12, 2017 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Rex
December 13, 2017 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
December 15, 2017 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall
December 16, 2017 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
December 17, 2017 - Denver, CO - The Summit
Australia and New Zealand Tour supporting Rise Against
February 7, 2018 - Mount Claremont, Australia - HBF Stadium
February 9, 2018 - Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
February 10, 2018 - Melbourne, Australia - Margaret Court Arena
February 13, 2018 - Moore Park, Australia - Hordern Pavilion
February 14, 2018 - Brisbane, Australia - Riverstage
February 17, 2018 - Christchurch, New Zealand - Horncastle Arena
February 19, 2018 - Auckland, New Zealand - Logan Campbell Centre
Last fall, Fueled By Ramen (home to Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, and many more) re-released SWMRS' debut album Drive North. The re-released version of the album includes re-mastered versions of the original release's 12 tracks and new songs "Lose It" and "Palm Trees". Drive North is available now digitally HERE and physically HERE.
Praised for "defining the sound of now" in Rolling Stone's Best New Artists 2016 feature, SWMRS originally released Drive North in February via their own Uncool Records. Noisey announced the release and premiered the album's lead single "Figuring It Out" praising the track as a "poppy foot-tapper filled with skate-gang vocals."Nylon premiered the band's video for the track, which was directed by fellow Bay Area artist Kreayshawn. Watch it HERE. SWMRS made their network television debut, performing the song on CBS's The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Produced by FIDLAR frontman Zac Carper, Drive North also features the band's debut single "Miley" which i-D Magazine premiered last fall, hailing the song as "the most punk tribute to Miley Cyrus ever." The band's DIY music video for the track can be seen HERE. Album opener, "Harry Dean" is an abridged version of a previously 17-minute epic the band originally recorded to soundtrack Saint Laurent Paris's Spring/Summer 2016 presentation, earning them praise from fashion publications like WWD and Interview Magazine.
About SWMRS There's never been a punk band like SWMRS, the Oakland quartet that combines the caustic broadsides of The Clash, the amphetamine bubblegum of the Ramones, and the searing lyrics, propulsive energy, and raw honesty of Public Enemy, Frank Ocean, A Tribe Called Quest and Kurt Cobain. Formed after the dissolution of their previous band, Emily's Army, the childhood friends (Cole Becker, lead vocals, rhythm guitar; Max Becker, lead vocals, lead guitar; Joey Armstrong, drums, backing vocals; and Sebastian Mueller, bass, backing vocals) showcase telepathic chemistry on their formal debut, "Drive North." Produced by Zac Carper of FIDLAR, it's suffused with coming of age jams, subversive anthems to Miley Cyrus, and a sense of freedom forged out of modern-day confusion. The guitars draw blood, the drums detonate, the voice is unique-the sound is timeless. Originally released on the band's own Uncool Records, Drive North was re-released by Fueled By Ramen in October 2016.
Photo credit: Alice Baxley
Comments
Videos