Photo: Press
Cole Becker - who co-founded SWMRS with Joey Armstrong (son of Billie Joe) - wrote a line in the chorus for their single ‘Palm Trees’ about Trump. He screams about a corrupt “rich man with a spray tan” with unrestrained disgust and fearlessness. The song’s narrative, however, seems to be about generic businessmen in Hollywood that young people pander to in order to climb the social-economic ladder. But wedging that line in there is good fun, and Becker’s sense of conviction with controversial subjects is strong.
So what makes this floppy blonde haired punk come across so opinionated? “I think that’s the product of where were grew up,” he tells Gigwise. Of his hometown of Oakland, California he says: “It’s a very politically active and incredibly outspoken place. Being able to express our voice and say things loud with certainty, is such a freeing thing to be able to do.”
The most obvious embodiment of this perspective is his song ‘I Hate LA’. But he doesn’t actually hate it. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t hate LA that much but it feels good to say that and feel that strength and power with being able to declare something so forthrightly,” he says. Becker’s desire to use language as power and provoke is a healthy attitude for a singer leading an exuberant punk rock ‘n’ roll band who’ve been rehearsing in Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day’s studio since they were 9-years-old.
The album that the above songs are taken from, Drive North, doesn’t just focus on the toxicity of fame searching and corrupt political leaders, however. It’s a more sensitive album than that. It’s very much about the formation of early adulthood identity and his depiction of Miley Cyrus in the song 'Miley' exemplifies this best: “A lot of what we talk about on the album is about figuring out who you are and being product of the good and bad,” revelas Becker. “Miley was the perfect installation of the idea. She’s someone who is constantly evolving and making mistakes a lot of the time but isn’t afraid to.”
The youthful subject matter makes a lot of sense considering Becker is 21, and still registered as an undergraduate student at Berkley on a liberal arts degree called American studies, from which he’s currently on extended leave in order to keep up with all the touring.
Being at Berkley appears to have equipped him with the tools with which to speak about politics to quite a high level. Of Trump’s recent tremors of evil, he says: “A lot of these things are scary signals for the consolidation of power and the idea he’s not just the president but he might become furore Trump pretty soon. They’re doing a lot under the table that’s slowly centralising all power. The fact he’s taking notes from Putin should say a lot about what he’s trying to do.”
Moreover, his youthfulness means he’s very much in touch with the thriving DIY scene in California and he reels off a bunch of bands, including O.C.D and Dog Party, with such fluidity that rock n’ roll revelry is very much part and parcel of what he’s about. He and his band mates also run a label called Uncool Records that seems inspired by the aesthetic of Burger Records.
Sonically, SWMRS have moved on from a lot of their signees are doing, though. They’ve signed to a major label (Atlantic) that presents somewhat of an identity crisis for Becker but he seems to be handling it ok. “It would be cool to just be a DIY band. But then you write a song and you know it’s not going to get its full life if you just do that. You have to be faithful to the songs you write,” he justifies. “Its so proudly DIY in Oakland and you always fear that you’re making wrong decision. But this is the right thing. Think that the team are dedicated music fans that want to make things happen for you.”
More than giving his music a wider broadcast, signing to major means increased recording budget and at this point it’s something that suits the band’s mentality. The band have moved on from from their 8-track lo-fi roots and “have embraced quite a way of working that isn’t necessarily better than lo-fi DIY styles, but is different.
“When we were 12 we started recording in Billie Joe’s basement studio, he had this Tascam 8-track that was awesome it added a really even level of compression to everything, so you didn’t really need to do anything to it - a lot of the first demos were made that way. To have access to that at such a young age is something I’m so thankful for.
"But about three or four years ago we started to see production as an art itself. I don’t listen to that much Rock or punk and I’m mostly inspired by a lot of hip hop and pop producers because they layer songs differently than a rock producer would,” says Becker. "I mean, I love rock music my favourite bands are Pavement and Dinsoaur Jr but what we’re interested in is where the limits of punk and rock 'n' roll are now, and where we can take them, and where we can bring in alternative influences. We’re continually trying to forge our own path.”
At present, SWMRS are in a very good position to do so, their recording sound is incredible, their live show is one of the most celebrated of any new band – playing live together for so long has evidently helped make them tight as glue. Cole Becker has his brother Max in the band and they’ve been joined by bassist Seb Mueller since 2014 and their bond is unbreakable, apparently.
“There’s no shortage of strong personalities, fights happen, usually over stupid things, “ responds Becker to a question of how they’ve managed to keep going so long. “We’re all best friends and it’s friendship over anything else. If it really came down to it you know everyone in the room has your back.” And with so much already achieved since they formed after watching Jack Black's School of Rock film, the future of SWMRS could be a long and healthy one.
Be sure to go see SWMRS play Hyde Park on 1 July with Green Day, The Hives Sunflower Bean, Public Access TV and more - it could be one of the best events of the summer.
