"Cruel hunter learns to paint"
Drenched In Honey by Sword Collector appeals to my goth alter ego. Yes, secretly, I do want to paint my fingernails black, wear dark eyeliner and lipstick. The sound is sad, reflective, the lyrics are obtuse and poetic and this trio sounds like they might come from Blackpool, Lancashire (at least in my imagination) but they hail from from South Texas (USA).
I like the sound of the droning synths that pitch bend in interesting ways and Kyle McCoy's vocal aesthetic feels internal, cast from a serious face with a furrowed brow. The chorus is ghosted by a fog of backing vox and guest backing vocalist Madison Campbell (of Marley Moon) is a perfect addition. The song creates a cinematic drama but might just end too quickly although I like how it ends. I get the feeling that Robert Smith would like this song.
Sword Collector is Carlos Cooper (drum machine, synth), Kyle McCoy (vocals, guitar, chord organ) and Ryan Johnson (guitar, bass).
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
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Sword Collector, who formed mere moments before the US COVID-19 quarantines, have social distancing built into their creative process. The band is composed of a South Texas triad: Kyle James McCoy (bass/vocals; they/them) of Houston, Ryan Johnson (guitar; he/him) of Austin, and Carlos Cooper (synth/drum machine; he/him) of Corpus Christi. For their debut EP, each member recorded in their respective home studios, sending the final tracks to guitarist Ryan Johnson for mixing, then to John Allen Stephens of Third Coast Recording Co (The Suffers, Camera Cult) for mastering. No more than one person was in the room during the writing and recording process at any given time.
In their short time as a band and with the restrictions presented by COVID-19, Sword Collector have garnered a smattering of local, national, and international headlines from New Noise, IDIOTEQ, The Bend Magazine, and Teal Cheese. Their music and community building efforts have inspired a small but passionate following, including musicians that have learned their songs for covers.
The band's musical union began when the three old friends, once all Corpus Christi natives, decided that they missed one another deeply. Spending their formative years as active members of their local hardcore punk scene, Johnson, McCoy, and Cooper built a lasting friendship on the foundation of music. After nights sharing visions of their new musical identity, the band established core principles of sonic exploration, radical vulnerability, and mystical esotericism. Over the sometimes-dreamy-sometimes-eerie soundscapes of Cooper and Johnson, McCoy explores existential desires, reclaims autonomy after surviving abuse, and grows the connection with their fluid gender and sexuality.
Teaming with photography duo Tera Elwell and Laura Suarez as well as designer Brian Morgante of Flesh & Bone Design, Sword Collector craft a landscape both sonically and visually rich with ancient magic and self-actualization. Draped in a thick fog of occult, Sword Collector makes self-discovery sacred.
In their short time as a band and with the restrictions presented by COVID-19, Sword Collector have garnered a smattering of local, national, and international headlines from New Noise, IDIOTEQ, The Bend Magazine, and Teal Cheese. Their music and community building efforts have inspired a small but passionate following, including musicians that have learned their songs for covers.
The band's musical union began when the three old friends, once all Corpus Christi natives, decided that they missed one another deeply. Spending their formative years as active members of their local hardcore punk scene, Johnson, McCoy, and Cooper built a lasting friendship on the foundation of music. After nights sharing visions of their new musical identity, the band established core principles of sonic exploration, radical vulnerability, and mystical esotericism. Over the sometimes-dreamy-sometimes-eerie soundscapes of Cooper and Johnson, McCoy explores existential desires, reclaims autonomy after surviving abuse, and grows the connection with their fluid gender and sexuality.
Teaming with photography duo Tera Elwell and Laura Suarez as well as designer Brian Morgante of Flesh & Bone Design, Sword Collector craft a landscape both sonically and visually rich with ancient magic and self-actualization. Draped in a thick fog of occult, Sword Collector makes self-discovery sacred.
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