What We’ve Been Listening To: Going Swimming

Australian rock band Going Swimming are fans of RVG, Prison Affair, and Keratin because they offer an assortment of lyrical content, soaked vocals and also have a bit of screamo about them, especially the latter band.

However, before you get to know more about the four gentlemen, you should give their latest record a listen. It’s a good one!

Who is Going Swimming and how did the namesake come about?

Going Swimming are a group of four gentleman who have probably never collectively been swimming together in our lives, but rather, have spent countless hours creating and performing music whilst enjoying each other’s company, as good mates do. The name came about before I joined the band, but it was born from the creative mind of Aswin Lakshman, who had the plan to start a surf inspired punk band and Going Swimming just seemed to match the aesthetic that we were aiming for. It’s funny now because we get a lot of strange likes and follows on our social media accounts of what I believe is people that just happen to enjoy the activity of swimming, and I’m not sure that they know it’s a band account haha.

What artists or bands are on your must-listen to list lately and why?

RVG – Their new album ‘Brain Worms’ is their best work yet, and that’s saying something. Romy has such a beautiful voice and the lyrical content on this album is fantastic.

Prison Affair – There’s been quite a bit of these ‘4 tracks lofi punk’ popping up recently, but these guys from Barcelona are some of the best at it. Usually, I don’t like it when the vocals are too soaked, but it seems to work for them. The drummer has some quick hats.

Keratin – Possibly the best local band that I’ve seen getting around at the moment. They’re a post hardcore group who also have a bit of screamo about them. I first saw them on Instagram, it was just a dodgy phone recording of one of their live shows and straight away I thought it was amazing, so I made sure I got down to their next live show at Nighthawks and they didn’t disappoint, they were incredible!

When you go into the recording studio to work on new material, what are your must-haves?

We’re pretty simple, I think. We treat it like a teenager’s slumber party, red bulls, crisps, some assorted party mix….that’s about it really.

Which song, or songs, of yours would you recommend to a first-time listener and why?

Start with ‘Talk Is Cheap’ from our first release, ‘The Shark Attack’ EP, as I think that sums up the sound of our early days the best. It has the surf feel but it’s also quite dirty.

Then go for ‘Your Sister’, from ‘Deadtime Stories’, as that shows off a bit of our progression and to this day is probably our best live song.

Then give ‘All Dressed Up To Cry’ a go. It’s fresh and a little more lyrically in depth but it still has the Going Swimming energy that we all know and love 😊

Which song of someone’s else’s (artist or band) would you have liked to feature on and why?

I always loved the cross overs that Death From Above used to do with Crystal Castles, so I reckon doing something like that would be really cool, probably with someone like Digitalism.

What led you into becoming a musician(s) and why do you keep making music?

Personally, I was always fascinated by the drums and always wanted to play but my parents weren’t keen on having a noisy drum kit in the house. Fortunately, my mate up the road had one at his place so I would always go around there and play, and that’s how I learned. I guess I keep playing because I still enjoy it so much. It’s important to have hobbies and interests as you get older, and I’m very grateful that I have the drums.