The newest single from the upcoming full-length record, AVOID ATTACH, is out today! “THE WIND AT NIGHT” is officially out into the world, and Magnet Magazine is hosting the premiere!

You can read about what inspired the lyrics in the official press release at the bottom of this post. Thanks to all the amazing people who made the single and its premiere a reality. If you’re digging the new song, please share or drop a comment on our Instagram post.

[ [ [ ON THE ROAD ] ] ]

We had a blast playing Pie Shop in D.C. with Sonic Eddy and Laal Taal at the beginning of the month. You can check out some photos from the show below. It’s been a truly amazing experience to connect and play our new tunes for you all live, and we are stoked for the upcoming gigs!

NEXT UP:

JULY 26

Lemoyne, PA

7pm

@ Consciousness Coffee

w/ Dean Thomas

Hope to see you there!

– Matt / SWOLL

07.07.25 - Pie Shop

READ ON FOR THE FULL, OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR “THE WIND AT NIGHT”

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On September 26, SWOLL will release their new album AVOID ATTACH (pre-order). AVOID ATTACH was tracked by Dan Angel and Ben Schurr in Philadelphia, PA. The record was mixed by Alex Tebeleff in Los Angeles, CA, and mastered by Sarah Register in Brooklyn, NY.

Today, SWOLL is excited to share "THE WIND AT NIGHT," the latest pre-release single to be released from the upcoming album, along with its accompanying music video. Directed by Drew Hagelin, with Phy Williams as Director of Photography and videography by WLLY, the video adds a compelling visual layer to the track. "THE WIND AT NIGHT" debuted at Magnet Magazine and is on all digital platforms for playlist shares.

SWOLL’s frontman/bassist Matt Dowling expands on the themes behind the new single:

“The lyrics for ‘THE WIND AT NIGHT’ were the last I wrote for the album. I recorded them with Alex (Tebeleff) in Los Angeles around November 2024—specifically in Altadena, right off Lake Ave. A few months later, that entire neighborhood burned down.

Like many of my lyrics, I didn’t fully understand what they meant until they were finished. If you’d asked me the day after I wrote them, I might’ve said something generic like, ‘it’s about how life changes fast, and you have to roll with it.’ But now, it feels like something else—like some cosmic force was speaking through me.

The original chorus was overly complex and didn’t work. Then suddenly, I stripped it back: ‘The – Wind – at – Night’ just came out. Looking back, the song feels like it’s about those sudden ‘Altadena events’—moments that hit like a brick through a window and reshape your life. You don’t choose how they affect you, but maybe you can choose to see their value in shaping who you become.”

Last month the band released “SCAR,” the lead single from AVOID ATTACH. The song debuted at New Noise Magazine and is available now on all digital platforms.

SWOLL is the genre-defying project of Baltimore musician Matt Dowling, who is best known for his work playing bass in critically acclaimed DMV bands like The Effects (Dischord Records), Deleted Scenes (Park the Van Records), and Paperhaus (Misra Records). SWOLL fuses the energy of live rock performance with the depth and pulse of electronic and trap beats. Their visual-heavy live show creates a hybrid sound-sculpture that's atmospherically dreamy, mysterious, and relentlessly groove-driven.

Moody, layered, reflective, and deeply emotional, SWOLL has historically given open nods to music icons like Unwound, Kraftwerk, Antelope, and Shudder to Think while incorporating undercurrents of hip-hop, trap, post-punk, and new wave. The song “SCAR” itself is an homage to the now-defunct Washington band, Puff Pieces (a descendant project of Antelope), and the social commentary delivered through their prescient 2016 LP, Bland in D.C.

Reflecting on the themes woven throughout the upcoming record, Dowling explains:

“I wanted to turn the psychological condition of avoidant attachment style into a verb that feels relevant right now. Avoidant attachment style is perhaps best described by Kevin Barnes’ Of Montreal lyric, ‘I need you here, and not here too.’ It’s a particularly modern condition that’s simultaneously psychological and physical. It sort of sounds bad and unhealthy (it is on the clinical edge of a disorder), but things like social media and AI, which are simply wildly popular modern tools, are particularly good places to ‘avoid attach.’ I also think things sort of feel overall bad and unhealthy in the world right now, but that could just be a coincidence, or my own projection.”

Originally formed as a studio collaboration with producer and Blight Records founder Ben Schurr (Br’er, Luna Honey), SWOLL's debut self-titled LP caught the attention of critics with its brooding basslines, minimalist textures, and Dowling’s haunting falsetto. Since then, SWOLL has evolved into a full live experience, featuring multi-instrumentalist Erik Sleight on drums and Zak Forrest on lighting design. The band’s performances are immersive, combining atmospheric visuals with a thunderous, synth-laden sonic-story.

SWOLL continues to explore the human condition and vulnerability through both sound and spectacle, delivering live shows that are as visceral as they are cerebral. Having shared stages with artists such as Gang of Four, Moderat, and A Place to Bury Strangers, SWOLL continues to push the limits of genre, emotion, and performance art in modern music.

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"The Wind at Night" single premiere + tour dates