Rising artist McKenna Grace has recently shared her latest single, “Swim Team”, which coincides with her debut performances at this year’s Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago.

“Swim Team” has Grace transition from her teen-pop beginnings to a more folk/pop-punk sound as she makes leaps as a songwriter. The lyrics to “Swim Team” offer a rare window into the complex world of teens coming of age in the modern era. One aspect of the changing nature of teens in this period is relationships and the opening of “Swim Team” lays the ground to explore that topic.

In the first verse, Grace opens with, “Tell me everything about your past.” That first line begins the topic by asking a new lover about their past relationships and the importance of receiving an answer. The question and answer are played around with in the song, with the protagonist’s lover dodging the question at every turn. With the duration of the unanswered question going on long enough, the chorus sets off a dynamic contrast of the lovers’ relationship experience. The opening of the chorus, “He’s swimming laps, I’ve never touched the deep end” uses the metaphor of swimming to show how the lover is confident as he has had multiple relationships in the past, while the protagonist has never gotten into serious relationships, referred in the song as “never touched the deep end.” This chorus repeated throughout the song, with the final chorus of the song ending on the note “He’s swimming laps, I’m drowning in the bleachers.” Showing how the relationship between the two has dissolved and the protagonist is left with an uncertain impression of romantic relationships.

Photo Credit: Jenna Houchin