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.

The Rebirth Of The Swan

This is a good Swans album. Well, I don't think Swans has made a truly great album since The Seer in 2012. That said, The Healers isn't a great album either. Swans has a vast discography that spans from excellent to mediocre, but they've usually managed to maintain a consistently high musical standard. Released in 2025, The Healers is the 17th studio album from this avant-garde band from New York.

In recent years, Swans has evolved into a more experimental ambient project, leaving behind the grand scale and intensity that once defined their sound something I personally don't appreciate as much. Their music now draws comparisons to Dead Can Dance, which isn't necessarily a bad direction, but it feels as though some of their former unpredictability and raw energy have been subdued. The last few albums tend to explore similar sonic territory, circling a meditative atmosphere that, while deliberate, can feel creatively static. Of course, Swans is still an avant-garde, experimental post-rock/punk band at heart, and this could be seen as part of an ongoing artistic search.

Looking back at their recent releases To Be Kind (2014), The Glowing Man (2016), Leaving Meaning (2019), and The Beggar (2023). Birthing may be the most immersive and focused of them all. It leans fully into ambient textures, with hypnotic melodies and rich sonic layers that pull the listener into new emotional territory for the band. It doesn't carry the same explosive force as their earlier work, but it opens a quieter, more introspective chapter that feels genuine.

Birthing is a good album. It's not what Swans has accustomed us to, but it's a rewarding and engaging listen. For those willing to embrace the band's ambient evolution, it has plenty to offer.

Birthing by Swans is a fantastic possible end to the band's longer format releases. For the past 13 years, they have released mammoth double albums, full of lengthy psychedelic compositions fully exploring their sound and composition ability and this is a great culmination of all of them, with spell binding production from band leader Michael Gira. While it is not the strongest out of this series as it does meander at times, it is fantastic in its own right, showing off a wide range of colors and textures, going from apocalyptic crashes to the most serene of moments. Genre wise it showcases the bands brilliant mix of post rock and metal with elements of experimebtal psychedelic rock, anti folk and industrial moments that harken back to their early no wave days. I'd give this a low 8 out of 10.