Birthing by Swans

Remember when we said Swans “may be hanging up the hat” in 2023? Of course you don’t, it was like our tenth video and maybe two hundred people watched it. Well, we were wrong, because the band just hit us with Birthing, an album which ends their saga as a massive, orchestral unit (for real this time). We described their previous album The Beggar as subdued, defeated, and tired, but Birthing wrenches the band’s storyline in an unexpected direction. For the first time in years, the signs of that old no wave sound reappear in full force, with enhanced roles for traditional rock instrumentation and a doubling down on the band’s intense rhythmic style. Astoundingly, Swans goes out on an overwhelmingly positive tone, leaving us to wonder what the hell happened. Is Michael Gira relieved as his tumultuous life nears its end? Is the band ready to accept the world and all its evil? Or maybe the Swans mission has been completed, and the culture has finally caught up to Gira’s antisocial messaging from 40 years ago.