BIRTHING

Having now digested Swans' newest studio album Birthing (2025) I can say that I really enjoyed it. It was a real joy to discover how the Live Rope setlist had been adjusted and refined into a studio album release.

The soundscapes are as rich and varied as ever, with Birthing and (Rope)Away being standout tracks in an already impressive track list. I am a Tower and Red Yellow are more fun tracks in their sound, with Tower having a very groovy collection of progressions. Red Yellow has a very fun backing vocal track disorienting the listener from Gira's performance, which I honestly wish was a tiny bit longer. I was initially iffy on Healers but the track has grown on me with repeat listens. It's not a standout hit like Lunacy on Seer, but it's still good. The Merge is sonically delightfully bonkers, with device tampering getting injected into the soundscape.

As for the thematic content, the album is oddly enough about motherhood. This is very likely a callback to Soundtracks for the Blind, which dealt with maternal neglect from the pov of the child, along other depressing matters. This time around many of the tracks are sung from the mother's perspective, acknowledging their shortcomings and absence in their children's life. My read is that this is partially a way for Gira to confront and process his mother's alcoholism now that he's a parent himself. Considering this is Gira's last album as lead producer, the bookending parallel themes to Soundtracks are very appropriate.

While it's not as moving as the 2012-2016 albums, it's still a very worthwhile experience.

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