“When it seems like everybody has taken the term ‘punk’ and used it as marketing copy instead of a battle cry, SWMRS have doubled down on their conviction to deliver one of the best records of the year” - Alternative Press
“Perfect for: Temporarily staving off the scariest parts of getting older” - Rolling Stone
“10 brilliant, twisting and turning tracks, SWMRS set a remarkably high standard for their songwriting craft and sheer out-there take on punk” – Kerrang
Oakland, CA rock quartet SWMRS have released their anxiously awaited sophomore album Berkeley’s On Fire. Already sitting at over four million global streams since its release, the album is available via Fueled By Ramen HERE. Limited edition merch bundles are also available exclusively at the SWMRS online store HERE.
“When we were writing these songs we were very conscious of our role in creating a space for people to escape from the nonstop negative media cycle,” shared co-front man Cole Becker on the album’s lyrics. “It’s a strange time to be young; our generation knows the duality of feeling like an unstoppable force for change in one moment and a powerless wreck in the next. We wanted these songs to document that feeling that we’ve observed closely in ourselves and in the people we’ve shared our music with over the past three years.”
Determined to create something new within the rock genre, SWMRS collaborated with envelope-pushing producer Rich Costey (MUSE, Death Cab for Cutie) for two months in the Spring of 2018 for an exercise in grand experimentation. Inspired in equal parts by The Breeders, Rage Against The Machine, and De La Soul, the sonic diversity of the album is indicative of a generation reared on streaming services. SWMRS make music the way they consume it, jumping easily from pop rock to breakbeat-infused rock to emo punk, and jangly power pop.
SWMRS began building anticipation for the album with the release of title track Berkeley’s On Fire last August. In November, the band announced Berkeley’s On Fire and shared lead single April In Houston, which was the #1 most added song at Alternative US Radio the week of release and rose to #28 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. Last month, the band released Trashbag Baby, their second consecutive song to premiere on BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World, and delivered a three song live performance from their historic Maida Vale Studios. The albums early tracks were featured prominently on playlists across Spotify (New Music Friday, New Noise, Rock This, All New Rock), Apple Music (Best Of The Week, Breaking Rock, The New Rock), and Amazon Music (Introducing Alternative, Rock Hits). SWMRS spoke at length to the album’s timely lyrical content in recent interviews with Alternative Press and Kerrang, who honored the band with their first ever cover story.
Comprised of Cole Becker (vocals/guitar), Max Becker (vocals/guitar), Joey Armstrong (drums), and Seb Mueller (bass), SWMRS released their debut album Drive North in 2016 via their own Uncool Records before signing with Fueled By Ramen (Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore) who later re-released it. Drive North has amassed over 1.8 million Australian streams and 44 million global streams, as well as praised by outlets including Rolling Stone, Noisey, Buzzfeed, and Billboard, and saw the band make their network television debut on CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden. SWMRS toured extensively in support of the album, and joined bands including FIDLAR, Wavves, Blink 182, Green Day, and All Time Low on stages around the world. Drive North has blared through hometown games of the Oakland A’s and San Jose Earthquakes, and through Saint Laurent’s runway during Paris Fashion Week.
