Something’s In The Hall is the debut album from American alternative folk artist Swamp Eyes. With experimentation aplenty and a nod to prolific composer Danny Elfman, it proved an intriguing prospect.

By Graeme Smith

Swamp Eyes is the project of Indiana-based Sam Kuban, who has based his debut LP around a very personal story. Only seventeen months after being born, Sam and his wife’s first born child was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and its this duality of joy and tragedy that runs through Something’s In The Hall.

The album opens with Trash Palace, which teeters from noisy punk and eerie folk. The lyrics tell an understated horror story, interspersed with instrumental interludes that are deliciously over the top. It’s a breath-taking intro to the world of Swamp Eyes and had me craving more.

Wait For The Lights brings with it finger plucking acoustic guitar and tight, urgent rock. I was reminded a little of early Bright Eyes by its no hold bars punk melancholia. There’s a trace of AJJ in there too. Dig A Hole has a somewhat dreamier feel in its opening, which develops into a rousing folk chant. The Farm Up North is a Pink Floyd-esque vignette that rounds off the first half of the album.

Mess Maker keeps things stripped-back and is perhaps the most emotionally raw moment in the album. Scurry introduces electronic layers into a rich and absorbing arrangement. It’s a definite highlight. Eat Us returns us to punk with shout along vocalisations rubbing shoulders with gentle acoustic moments before Cheers rounds things off with haunting but somehow reassuring acoustic folk.

Something’s In The Hall is such an astonishing accomplished debut. It’s proof that magic comes from pouring yourself and your story into your work, and from not being afraid to push boundaries. It’s an album that will definitely be making it into my regular rotation, and I’m excited to hear what Swamp Eyes does next.

You can check out the whole of Something’s In The Hall below.