Nagasaki Swim

Nagasaki Swim writes songs that make you feel brave, even if you're just running out to get some groceries, or turning onto the highway. Sure, Jasper Boogaard has clearly listened to his fair share of angsty music in his twenty-seven years, but that is not the nature of his steadfast third LP, which takes the Rotterdam-based indie folk band into the realm of Rock Music. Just listen to the Springsteen-esque saxophone sounds Mart Boumans (Personal Trainer) summons on 'Tokyo, 7AM' and 'Picture' or the rare guitar solo that closes out the record, courtesy of lapsteelist Jelle Crooijmans. Going in, the band was new and the songs were not quite as road-tested as before, but somehow Boogaard, alongside producer Mark Watter (Alex G, Swim Camp) managed to make them feel loose and lived-in. It's studio wizardry wherein, still, the stage lights beckon. Even though he is much less afraid to rock out and try his hand at bold new things, Boogaard still isn't one to just say"fuck it", as he points out on 'The Golden Car' - he's not like that. Throughout the record, he stares wistfully at the horizon. The nocturnal scenes of one Robby Müller might soothe him, the changing cityscape of his hometown might worry him, but on The View From Up There Boogaard takes on the world in stride. Sure, it will always be a little scary not knowing where your day, your life, a song or the street you're driving on is going. But isn't there also profound beauty in uncertainty? - Ruben van Dijk