http://www.terrascope.co.uk

Dancing out of the swamplands, we are suddenly bathed in light as the bright sunshine pop of The Swims greets our ears with a smile and the sound of flutes, memories of the Beach Boys floating in our heads. This sixties pop sound is continued throughout the entire of “ItemLord”, the band’s latest collection, a sparkling jewel of a record that has melody a-plenty as well as some shimmering organ, crunchy guitars and harmonies to die for. After the warmth of opener “All is Nice”, the short sharp “Ladyfist” is swirling power-pop, whilst “Descend into my Cape”, turns up the Garage meter, a stomping rocker with all the right moves, the tune immediately followed by the sweet acid twist of “Pile of Features”, the contrast between the two songs highlighting the creativity on offer. Consistently engaging, the whole album is an aural pick-and-mix, a cornucopia of sounds and flavours, all held together by some tight playing, great songwriting and a sense of fun that gets your feet moving and the your whole being smiling, add to this the fact that the collection seems to get better every time you play it and you have a disc that could be the essential summer purchase. (www.theswims.com)