ClubAntix

The Swellers are in the process of bringing high-energy punk rock to all corners of the U.S. Their new breed of melodic and driving punk rock incorporates pop sensibility, making listeners pump their fist, and belt the words to every hook. It is "all-out punk rock with some good old rock riffs and catchy moments, regardless of any trends or fashion scenes" as State of Emergency coins it. It is refreshingly honest and talented music. The craftsmanship in song writing distinguishes The Swellers from the average punk rock crew. Complexly perfect vocal and guitar harmonies polish their collection of songs.

The Swellers have been perfecting their live act for the past two and a half years playing hundreds of shows and sharing the stage with such national acts as The Suicide Machines, Mustard Plug, Bowling For Soup, Much The Same, A Wilhelm Scream; as well as rocking three Warped Tour dates on the Ernie Ball stage. In the process The Swellers realized that they thrive on creating music that induces a high energy and highly interactive experience for themselves and those attending their performances.

Experiencing new places, meeting new people and to continuing to make music for the rest of their lives is the ultimate goal. The Swellers are taking every step possible to solidify the future success of the band. But no need to keep your fingers crossed; The Swellers' extreme hard work, dedication, and songs that rock even the pickiest punk rockers are a killer combo that will launch them. No good luck needed.

They just don’t make them like this anymore. Or at least, not as often as they should. In a time when musical trends favor style over substance, homogenized digital "creations" over actual live in-studio performances and photo-friendly boy bands over those who can actually play their instruments, The Swellers are one of the groups gloriously and unapologetically swimming against the tide. And they make it look easy.

Back with a new full-length—Good For Me, the follow-up to 2009's mind-blowing Ups and Downsizing—Flint, Michigan's finest are about to drop their most seasoned, unforgettable effort yet. And while the band's sound has certainly never been described as meek, this time The Swellers are truly on a mission to bring the rock. As anyone who's seen the band live knows, this is what The Swellers do best.

"Even though we wanted to make a record that's really reminiscent of the '90s pop alternative radio and '90s pop-punk that we grew up with, that's accessible and big and awesome sounding, we also wanted to make it sound like we do live: a bunch of sweaty dudes playing a show and not caring about anything else," says singer/guitarist Nick Diener. "It sounds like a big rock record, but we're a punk-rock band playing it on our terms."

The Swellers—which also includes drummer Jonathan Diener, guitarist Ryan Collins and bassist Anto Boros—formed in 2002, and released their debut, End of Discussion, in 2004. After enduring some early growing pains, the band turned in an even stronger performance with 2005's Beginning of the End Again EP, followed by the powerful 2007 full-length My Everest. Those early recordings and some serious DIY gigging eventually attracted the attention of punk scene powerhouse Fueled By Ramen Records, which signed the band, and in 2009 released Ups and Downsizing, a modern punk masterpiece and The Swellers' breakout performance, chronicling the demise of Flint amid decades of corporate pillaging. Several high-profile tours followed, including stints with Paramore and Motion City Soundtrack, as well as full runs on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour and 2011 Take Action! Tour.

With so much momentum behind them and the stakes higher than ever, The Swellers knew it was time to go seriously big for Downsizing's follow-up, and set out to create their most thundering recording to date. After enlisting the aid of producer/Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson (Rise Against, NOFX, Propagandhi) and his partner in crime Jason Livermore, the band converged upon Stevenson’s and Livermore’s Blasting Room Studios in Fort Collins, Colo., emerging with the 10 scorchers that comprise Good For Me.

"We wanted to write timeless songs that have a lot of energy and melody. We took the two ends of our spectrum—the pop radio and the punk rock—and we honed in on it and got a nice middle ground. When we chose the 10 songs for it, we actually left off a couple of our favorite songs, just because they didn't fit the mold," says Nick. "This was the first record where we took into consideration the flow, and sometimes less is more."

Now that the new record is complete, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to realize there are many miles of touring ahead for the band, as they bring Good For Me to the masses in 2011 and beyond. Coming off a crucial run on this year's spring Take Action! Tour, the group will spend the summer playing literally everywhere, with a full schedule of dates planned in both the U.S. and abroad. The Swellers will settle for nothing less than total domination, and aren't shy about demanding it.

SATURDAY 24 SEPTEMBER BRISBANE, COUNTER REVOLUTION
SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER SYDNEY, COUNTER REVOLUTION
FRIDAY 30 SEPTEMBER MELBOURNE, COUNTER REVOLUTION
SUNDAY 2 OCTOBER ADELAIDE, COUNTER REVOLUTION
MONDAY 3 OCTOBER PERTH, COUNTER REVOLUTION

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