Just when I thought music couldn't possibly be any dumber, Swimwear Department goes and does something like this.
I'm writing this from Dallas, TX in the midst of a scorching August, where the heat regularly reaches triple digits. This year, in particular, it has been exceeding 105 degrees more frequently than it should.
This kind of heat wave leaves me feeling uncomfortable, agitated, and annoyed by everything. When I'm driving down the road in the midday sun, with its cancerous touch slowly seeping into my left arm through the driver's side window, the last thing I want is to listen to some pretentious podcast or an overly introspective song or album.
In times like this I need something lighthearted. Something that can keep me from googling the signs and symptoms of heat stroke. Something that distracts me from the fact that my wife and I spend way too much money on shrubs and plants just to have them die from one month of heat. Something to keep me from going on a rampage the next time I’m asked to set my thermostat to 80 degrees to help conserve energy and avoid rolling blackouts in a state where our government insists that our power grid is the most superior grid in the nation.
Thankfully, just before I start my rage spiral, I remember that the Houston based band Swimwear Department has recently released a new album titled “The Poolest of the Mall”. If anyone in Texas can appreciate the need for distraction and relief from living in unbearable weather, it’s definitely a band of Houstonians.
If you're familiar with the "I'm a Fan of…" podcast, then you might already know this band from when I featured their debut album, "Turn Over! Go Under!"
For those who are new to this publication or the podcast, allow me to introduce you to a band that exclusively crafts songs about swimming pools and shopping malls. Yes, you read that right – their entire discography revolves around these two subjects, and they've managed to produce two albums with songs solely centered on them.
The most recent album is a 10 song offering of garage/surf rock, 80s synth power ballads, monster overdriven lead bass lines, extremely catchy vocals and drum beats that glue it all together with a range from disco dance beats to hard rock breakdowns and everything in between.
At times they can sound like a quirky dance along song that you’d hear at a Jimmy Buffet bar in Mexico, while at other times it’s a punk rock anthem, and then sometimes it sounds like they’re writing an operatic masterpiece that deserves to be the soundtrack to a Guy Ritchie film, if Mr. Ritchie finally released the movie about pools and malls that we’ve all been asking him to create.
One of my favorite tracks on the album and the best example of their talented blend of silliness and seriousness is the almost 7 minute masterpiece of a song titled “The Lifeguard”.
While the band is rooted in immaturity, the sound has surprisingly evolved and matured. The topics are light hearted and fun, but if you removed the context of the vocals, musically, it sounds as serious and professional as any other band trying to make their mark in music.
I love it because it’s one of the dumbest things to happen to music while somehow simultaneously being exactly what needed to happen to music. To quote Murphys Laws of Combat Operations, “If it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.”
While I have an affection for most music genres, my unwavering love lies with punk rock. It will forever remain my favorite genre and the one that holds the most significance in my life. It has shaped me in countless ways. And even though punk rock often delves into social issues and politics, it also embraces the lighter, more playful side of having fun – to quote the wise words of Fat Mike from NOFX, "The true measure of success in life is how much fun you have."
This is where Swimwear Department comes in. Their music is unadulterated fun. It's undemanding, entertaining, and serves as a distraction from the fact that, due to the looming threat of climate change, I might one day look back at this sweltering August as a comparatively milder summer compared to the potentially apocalyptic landscape of drought and war waged for our diminishing clean fresh water supply… But, I digress.
What astonishes me the most about Swimwear Department's brand of silliness is that they deliver it through genuinely good music and well-crafted songs. Unlike "Weird Al" Yankovic or Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies, (i enjoy both) Swimwear Department writes original songs that you'll find yourself grooving to before realizing you're singing about belly flops in pools, love ballads about geriatric mall walking, or shopping sprees that last until your demise.
What I also find interesting after a few listens to the new album is that Swimwear Department isn’t entirely a gimmick band. I mean, yes, they are but, they aren’t a gimmick whose act loses its charm after one listen. They’re a really good band that just happens to have an extremely narrow range of songwriting topics.
Adding to their charm is the band's composition, consisting of a lead singer, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist. As a guitarist myself, I initially thought I'd miss the strumming of six strings. However, the band's arrangement fills each track so vibrantly that I never find myself yearning for a guitar to be added. Those who know the ego of guitarists understand how significant that praise is.
Speaking of songwriting and musicianship, let me remind you that this band exclusively writes about swimming pools and shopping malls – yet they've managed to amass two albums worth of material on those topics.
The next time you encounter someone grappling with writer's block or struggling to find creative inspiration, direct them to this article and introduce them to Swimwear Department. If this band can produce a volume of content centered around just two seemingly limited themes (and I'm willing to wager they plan to create more), then surely anyone can break free from their creative rut and tackle whatever task they've been avoiding.
So don’t let the brutal summer heat throw you into a blind rage that causes you to scream at people driving too fast down your neighborhood streets.
Instead, seek solace by lounging by a pool or taking a leisurely stroll within the cool confines of an air conditioned shopping mall, all while embracing the music of Swimwear Department. Allow their unique comedic brilliance and musical prowess to gently guide you back to the serene and composed individual that truly defines you.
Travis Wright is the host of the “I’m a fan of…” podcast. If you enjoy music and comedy, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and check out the You Tube Channel. Thanks!