York-based alternative electronic production duo Haxby Swango have announced the release of their first free-to-download EP, ‘Banana Songs’ for Monday, February 23.
For fans of: Die Antwoord, Calvin Harris, The Cure
Listen to/embed ‘5Deep’ now:
Throughout this collection, the band (made up of vocalist Hutchy Swango and keyboardist Jack Swango craft monolithic mega-disco soundscapes that smash at the senses and burrow into the brain pushing out killer hip-hop-style beats and massive pop choruses. Influenced by the sounds of their youth (a grimey diet of hard dance, hard rock and rap), ‘Banana Songs’ is the perfect introduction to the almighty aural explosion that is Haxby Swango.
Vocalist Hutchy comments: “This whole EP gives a very colourful picture of what this band is about, and it’s a very strong foot forward for us.”
Talking on tracks that form this debut, the pair enthusiastically gush about their own sonic explorations, and professional development. On the EP opener, ‘5Deep’, Hutchy states: “These tracks are all really strong and unique,” he adds. “On ‘5Deep’, I wanted to make it sound like one part was influenced by world music, and the next by an American R&B beat as well as electronic rock! There are all these different elements; though every song has a really catchy chorus!”
On second track, ‘Raindance!’, Jack stresses that cultural and visual influence is just as important to the Haxby Swango sound as musical influences are: “This is a standout track for us, and it’s heavily influenced by anime themes and j-pop culture.”
For the final track on the EP, ‘Bye Bye…Explode’ the pair comment on how they have progressed as musicians and as a result, developed the song over time: “That beat was a lot different to start with; we got a lot better at producing, re-did it and created this R&B and electro-house, hard-dance-influenced track.”
Haxby Swango formed in 2014 from the ashes of progressive rock act Astrae with that band’s founding members at the helm.
The full tracklisting for ‘Banana Songs’ is as follows:
1 – ‘5Deep’
2 – ‘Raindance’
3 – ‘Bye Bye…Explode’
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