Mute Swan – “Another Simple Pleasure” & “Like A Chump”

This Friday, the dreamy Tuscon rockers Mute Swan will release their sophomore album Skin Slip, the last album they recorded before the death of their guitarist Tom Sloane. We've heard a bit of the record already with singles like "Hypnosis Tapes" and "Cocteau Swans," and Mute Swan are churning out even more previews of what's to come with newer songs "Another Simple Pleasure" and "Like A Chump."

The psychedelic album closer "Another Simple Pleasure" sees Mute Swan go a bit outside of their comfort zone. They say in a press release:

This song was originally inspired by the work of Stereolab but took another direction somewhere along the writing and recording process. We experimented with a few sounds we don’t normally use like mellotron strings, hand drums, cowbell, vibraphone etc. The guitar work by Tom Sloane on this track is especially good. I remember telling him, "try to make your guitar sound like a ghost."

Released a couple of weeks ago, "Like A Chump" is a very pretty and reverb-heavy cross between shoegaze and Britpop, anchored by a programmed beat. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Barnett adds:

I asked our drummer, Gilbert, if he had a beat I could use to write a new song and he said, just use the beat from Nookie by Limp Bizkit. Anyway, I used some of the lyrics too and Hannah McCain (Sonya Blade) sang the outro. We really hope Fred Durst hears it.

Check out both songs below.

Skin Slip is out 3/6 via Hit The North/Wooden Tooth. Pre-order it here.