Dublin band The Swings have released their new single, What's It Gonna Take, and support Aslan on their upcoming tour. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
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Comprised of singer Leon Cullen McLoughlin (19), bassist Ben McCluskey (18), lead guitarist Kyle Doherty (19), and drummer Cian Quinlan (18), they released their debut EP, Lost in Us, last year.
Speaking about their new track, Leon says, "When I wrote What's It Gonna Take, I was going through a really strange time of my life.
"I had just finished school and I was trying to decide whether to go down the college route, start a trade, or just go with the music.
"It's a big decision and it's a choice I put myself under a lot of pressure to make.
"I think you can really feel that tension, and fear of some sorts when you listen to the song. That moment of catching yourself questioning everything that you do is the whole idea of the song I suppose.
"It's nearly like a conversation with yourself in your head, where you're asking yourself, am I really cut out to do what I want to do?"
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Cian: I only started to play drums three years ago.
My favourite band is The Police.
I'm sitting my Leaving Cert in June.
How would you describe your music?
Ben: Our music has developed greatly over the years, originally our music was quite poppy, as you can hear in our first single, Dancing With You. Recently, we have been taking more indie and rock influences. Our rock influences can be heard quite prominently in our newest single, What’s It Gonna Take.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Leon: I think a huge inspiration for us as a band, both musically and lyrically is Sam Fender. There’s something about the way his lyrics are so real that really connects with us. A lot of our songs are about our life experiences and different situations we’ve been through, and that’s something that we learnt from him.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Kyle: Green Day in Kilmainham.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Cian: The Colour and the Shape - Foo Fighters.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Ben: A Blister in My Heart - Les Votives.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Leon: "You and I are gonna live forever" - Oasis.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Kyle: Don’t Believe a Word - Thin Lizzy.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find us on TikTok and Instagram under @TheSwingsOfficial and on Spotify under The Swings.
Alan Corr
