Svalbard Post New Track How To Swim Down From Upcoming Album 'The Weight Of The Mask'
Thursday, 17 August 2023
Written by Jon Stickler
Svalbard have shared another song from their upcoming fourth album.
Following Eternal Spirits and Faking It, How To Swim Down serves as the third preview of 'The Weight Of The Mask', due out on October 6 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Marking the Bristol band's most unique material to date, the new melancholic track sees the metal four-piece switching their style, offering clean angelic vocals from Serena Cherry and a violin performance from guitarist Liam Phelan. Cherry said:
"This song is about the exquisite pain and sorrowful beauty of unrequited love. I think it’s the saddest, most heartbreaking song we’ve ever written. Lyrically, the starting point of the verse is about concealment of adoration, before the chorus gives way to realising and accepting a fate of loving someone quietly from afar.
"Musically, How To Swim Down saw us dive into unchartered waters with Liam adding many layers of mournful violin parts onto the track. Finally, violins – for the first time in Svalbard history! It feels so exciting to have new instruments on a song.
"Another first is that How To Swim Down features only clean vocals, no screams. I wanted the vocal delivery of these lyrics to feel as though I’m whispering a secret to someone whilst they’re sleeping. My vocals here represent that lonely type of communication, singing to yourself in an empty house. It’s a private, selfless love song, where only the listener knows of my heartache."
Svalbard will appear at Cult Of Luna's previously postponed Beyond The Redshift festival at the O2 Forum Kentish Town, London on October 20 and play a show in Leeds next day. They also have gigs coming up in Germany and France.
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