Los Angeles rock band Swerve's latest track, "Escape" arrives ahead of a full-length album that will be released next year. Led by Gregory Mahdesian (vocals and guitar) and Ryan Berti (guitar and vocals), featuring Brandon Duncan (bass and vocals) and Mark Gardner (drums), Swerve delivers hook laden material that swings somewhere between Queens of the Stone Age and Oasis.
For its relatively slender running time (just over three minutes), "Escape" takes listeners on a wild ride through the past and present: Fuzz driven guitars give way to sensitive, clean tones that lend an intricacy and sophistication to a song that could have easily become nothing more than a money maker shaker. In its own way, it recalls progressive music of the 1970s as it keeps the listener on the edge of their listening chair, anticipating the next twist, turn and (the most 2020 of all words) pivot into the unexpected. Are there hints of Radiohead and Teenage Fanclub lurking in the wings? Sure. But Swerve are more than a collage of influences, landing on something that is unique to this time and this band.