mxdwn PREMIERE: Swerve Releases Reflective New Single “My Enemy Is Dead”

Los Angeles rock band Swerve, which consists of Gregory Mahdesian, Ryan Berti,  Brandon Duncan, and Mark Gardner, is set to release their debut album this spring. The band began working on the album in early 2020 with producer Adam Lasus. Today mxdwn is premiering Swerve’s latest single “My Enemy Is Dead,” the second single off this upcoming debut record. 

“My Enemy Is Dead”  is a raw rock track and impressive follow up to the album’s first single “Escape,” released this past October. What starts out as slow and melodic, builds to a crescendo of soft rock harmonies. The song deals with both the hope and melancholy of moving on, with lyrics like “If we fall, we’ll take the others down, best not to stall, been lying on the ground.” On writing the song, guitarist and vocalist Gregory Mahdesian shared that it “was the first song the band worked on together during our pandemic recording sessions. The song just came together so quickly, like it was waiting for us… The song entirely resisted overdubs and the extra stuff that we would normally add, so what you hear is a single take of the full band playing live together. Adam helped us ensure it has a purity that allows the component parts to shine.”

“This song was supposed to be about depression, loss, and finding a way to move on.” Mahdesian explained in a statement. “Then, 2020 happened, and we all got put through the ringer. As the year wore on, we decided the song felt more like an anthem or reflection for the end of this political era. Maybe there’s some optimism in it, but if there is, it’s cautious.”

Pre-save “My Enemy Is Dead” here. 

Olivia Duff-Rogliano: Features writer at mxdwn | Olivia is a recent graduate of Purchase College where she studied journalism and literature. While at college, she was the managing and reviews editor of a student-run arts and culture magazine. Currently, Olivia is a freelance writer in New York.
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