Downswing: When The Light Went Away

There’s a quietly effective moment at the end of the second album from DOWNSWING that leaves a lasting impression. In its final seconds, the song Eternal fades out to the sound of ocean waves lapping at a shoreline. It’s only there for the briefest period, but it ends And Everything Was Dark on a beautifully optimistic note. Waves are commonly associated with peace and tranquillity, and it brings the record to pleasantly soothing finale.

What makes it even more calming is that it’s preceded by thirty-five minutes of barnstorming metalcore, filled with lyrics about pain and rage. And Everything Was Dark is catchy as hell and at first glance, seems custom-built for mainstream rock radio. Scratch the surface though, and you’ll soon find that abyss that everyone has been staring into, and it’s looking squarely into your eyes.

“A lot of the songs were written about the state of the world within the last five to six years,” singer Harrison Seanor tells us, from his home in Washington State. “The music is upbeat and fast and aggressive, but a lot of the lyrics are kind of morbid. But that was an unintentional thing! It’s just from writing from a certain perspective, and the world has been chaotic, so it happened naturally.”

Now, let’s be clear about one thing: DOWNSWING are not a protest band. These songs revolve around the complexity of human experiences, they’re not standing on boxes with megaphones and ranting about workers unions. You can go into this with no idea who they voted for and leave it in the same way. However, the political turmoil and social unrest of the last few years has cast a despondent shadow. And this has resulted in some bleak lyrical outpourings.

And Everything Was Dark encompasses grief and mental illness but does so in a very open way. Harrison’s lyrics are based on his own experiences, but he’s left things vague enough that you could apply individual interpretations with ease.

“Everybody’s got their own views, you can listen to any of our songs, take your own thing from it and make it yours. If you can do that, I’ll consider my job done,” he says. “You can write about what feels like a very personal experience but end up writing something that’s universal.”

The contrast between the harrowing subject matter and upbeat music gives And Everything Was Dark a distinctive personality, but it’s not immediately obvious. On the first listen, you may not even notice the darkness at all. The music is vibrant and energetic and would be right at home sending a packed-out Warped Tour crowd pogoing into the night. It’s like the audio equivalent of smiling at the oncoming apocalypse.

It’s also going to disappoint anyone hoping that DOWNSWING would return to their roots. The difference between this and their earlier work is impossible to ignore. In some respects, this record represents a rebirth.

“When the band started, it was straight up hardcore, but through the transitions and the line-up changes, we’ve kind of developed? This is what we want to sound like,” he explains. “I don’t want to come across as rude to our old fans or dismiss anyone that likes the old school DOWNSWING, but this is a new beginning for us. Everybody grows, everybody’s tastes are constantly changing. I mean…how can you expect not to grow as a band?”

While there might be a few diehard ‘core fans who switch off when the first harmonised vocals of No God To Me come out the speakers, DOWNSWING haven’t abandoned their original scene. Speaking with Harrison, it soon becomes obvious that they’ve put a tremendous amount of work into making the best record they could, but the job isn’t done. If anything, it’s just started. They’ve still got the never-stop-gigging mentality that so many of their contemporaries share and aren’t going to stop loading their own gear because they’ve sold a few more records.

“It’s always a grind, there’s always a next step to take,” he says. “We put in so much work and I’m proud of everybody in the band. We all worked so hard to make sure this record was as good as it could be, and the amount of support and love we’re getting, it definitely makes us feel like we’ve finally done it. Like we’re at least starting to cross that gap. We’re getting there, it’s a grind, it never stops.”

So, when the closing song comes to its end and the ocean waves surge in, there’s a welcome sense of peace. But it’s for the listener, not the band. They’ve turned a corner with their new album and aren’t going to take a surfing sabbatical anytime now. They’ve got months of touring ahead to keep the momentum going.

We’d understand if they want to spend their off days on a golf course though. It turns out that they’ve accidentally named their band after a golf term.

“My golf game is atrocious. I’m an awful player,” he laughs. “Our drummer though…we go to Top Golf and he’ll hit those balls to the far net. It’s incredible!”

And Everything Was Dark is out now via MNRK Heavy. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS126 here:

For more information on DOWNSWING like their official page on Facebook.