Bands
The debut album from singer/songwriter Andrew Swift is more than just a simple ode to faded memories of being a child. ‘The Way We Were Raised’ is a turbulent voyage, a deeply personal one at that, covering particular events throughout his life that shaped the musician that he is today.
The album navigates an ocean of nostalgia, from particular places and faces to the exact sentiment he felt at those times. However, it’s not all hearty reminiscence that resonates on the 12 tracks Swift laid down over the past year and a half. You don’t need to delve much deeper in to his songs to unearth a seemingly emotional tug-of-war between what he does and what he feels. A personal battle that not too many share is reflected in lyrics like “without my strings in hand I’m lost” and “my head and my heart won’t collaborate, they were raised in different ways” which are evident to his perpetual inner conflict.
Swift laid down the bass, drums and piano at The Base Studio in South Melbourne before deciding, almost on a whim, to travel all the way to El Paso, Texas to collaborate and finish the record with fellow musicians, Gabriel Gonzalez and Jim Ward (At The Drive In, Sparta, Sleepercar) at Clap of Thunder Studios. With a solid structure of the existing tracks already in place, Gonzalez admits that they were easily able to imagine and add the sonic textures that are evident on the final recordings. ‘The Way We Were Raised’ is an album awash with symbolic implication of the way things were and the reason they are today.
“a songwriter who puts heart and soul into his work… I am now eagerly awaiting the next release from someone who is one of Australia’s most talented musicians” - Buzz Magazine
“a fitting choice for the start of a fun night with great crowd interaction and grabbed the attention of the audience with his smooth acoustic melodies” – TheDwarf.com.au
“bringing the sunburnt Australiana appeal of Midnight Oil to a whole new generation of music lovers” – Beat Magazine