It’s been a while since Sway released their first single in the form of the sublime To Be A Man.

A gargantuan debut combining chiming guitars, deft melodies and raw power, it'd be entirely understandable if the band had simply decided to allow it to bask in its own glory for a while since its release in late 2017, but whatever the reason for the gap, the Paisley quartet have finally released the follow-up, Another Lover and from the off it’s clear they’ve delivered another monster.

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A distinguishing feature - one of many - of the band’s sound on their previous singles and in their live shows is the jangly, intricate guitar lines which echo Johnny Marr’s playing with the Smiths, but on Another Lover, it’s actually the more brooding nature of Marr’s solo work that comes to mind. Dark and intense from the first bars, layers of guitars intertwine with the booming rhythm section to create a sound that is as complex as it is powerful, providing the perfect backdrop to the ponderous yet impassioned lyrics and vocals, and by the time Another Lover reaches its first sky-scraping chorus, it’s already one of the best songs of the year.

 

With an EP due at the end of October and a tour (including, somewhat surreally, a date at the Royal Albert Hall [Note: the tour also included a Revol date]...) to go along with it, the future looks very bright indeed for Sway.