The DJ’s desk: “Swim” by Episode
One of 2016’s earliest gems is a track called “Swim” by rising New York City band Episode. It’s a sunny, alt-rock number that the band wrote to stay warm during winter, and it certainly works to heat up this frigid Richmond January for three minutes.
What really makes this one pop is guitarist Eric Sherman’s swirling main riff. It gets hooked in your head on first listen. Combine that with Daniel Lonner’s vocals and you immediately start to get Stadium Arcadium flashbacks in the best possible way. The song vividly conjures up the end of a relationship, but with a hint of hopeful optimism for the future.
Lonner and Sherman had been in various bands together since high school before they linked up with drummer Brett Daniels and formed Episode. In 2014 they released the acclaimed “Hold On” EP with Lonner rapping and a rotating crew of vocalists. The band, however, wasn’t content with the sound and took some time off to refocus, eventually recruiting Giovani Thatcher on bass.
The band hit on “Swim” early in the process of recording stuff for their forthcoming EP, and decided to run with the idea of Lonner handling singing vocals. It was a smart move. They emerge in 2016 dripping with beach vibes that they picked up from an LA recording session with producer Rex Kudo (Post Malone). Look for their (re)debut EP to drop in the next couple of months, just in time to become an indispensable part of your spring break playlists.
Sounds Like: Millennial Red Hot Chili Peppers
Perfect For: Thawing out after a freezing walk back from class
Music Desk, Josh Buck
I’m an almost annoyingly outspoken feminist who loves writing about gender and race in mainstream art. I once had to be almost physically removed from Disneyland because my friends said it’s not cool to be the very last person in the park. I can’t wait to graduate in the spring so I can point my car West with no money and no plan, and spend months seeing the country, writing and meeting people.
