SWANS Birthing released via Mute and Young God with final dates for current touring lineup
Birthing, the seventeenth studio album by Swans, is now out via Mute and Young God Records in North America. The release is available on triple vinyl in chipboard packaging, double CD in a chipboard digipak, and through digital platforms. Initial physical pressings include a bonus DVD, Swans Live 2024 (Rope) The Beggar, a concert film by Marco Porsia, and I Wonder If I’m Singing What You’re Thinking Me To Sing, a tour documentary by Christopher Nicholson filmed during Michael Gira’s 2022 solo performances.
Artist: Swans
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, Noise Rock, Post-punk
Label: Mute Records, Young God Records
Description: Swans release Birthing via Mute and Young God with tour dates confirmed for autumn 2024 and a bonus live DVD included in early pressings.
Related articles: Interview with Michael Gira on Swans
The current touring lineup—Gira, Kristof Hahn, Dana Schechter, Larry Mullins, Phil Puleo, Christopher Pravdica, and Norman Westberg—will tour the UK and Europe through autumn. Two nights are scheduled at London’s Electric Brixton (9–11 November) and two at Berlin’s Festsaal Kreuzberg (27–28 November). These performances will be the final appearances of this particular configuration of the group. Jessica Moss will appear as supporting act.
Recorded at Soundfabrik, Berlin, the album was engineered by Ingo Krauss (assisted by Kiron Gaudi) and mixed at Candy Bomber Studio, Berlin. Mastering was completed by Doug Henderson at Micro-Moose, also in Berlin. Gira handled production.
Contributors to Birthing include core members and a range of collaborators:
Michael Gira – acoustic guitar, vocals, production
Phil Puleo – drums, hammer dulcimer, flute, melodica, percussion
Kristof Hahn – lap steel guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, loops, backing vocals
Dana Schechter – lap steel guitar, bass guitar, loops
Christopher Pravdica – bass, Taishogoto, loops, keyboards
Larry Mullins – Mellotron, keyboards, piano, synthesizer, drums, vibraphone, percussion, vocals
Norman Westberg – electric guitar, loops
Additional guests include Jennifer Gira, Laura Carbone, Lucy Kruger, Andreas Dormann, Timothy Wyskida, and Little Mikey.
Swans was formed by Michael Gira in 1982 in New York City. The group’s early work was characterised by high volume, repetition, and harsh minimalism, particularly on albums such as Filth (1983) and Cop (1984). Later phases incorporated elements of industrial, acoustic folk, orchestral arrangements, and collage. Notable works include Children of God (1987), The Burning World (1989), White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991), and Soundtracks for the Blind (1996). Gira dissolved the group in 1997 and focused on Angels of Light and his label Young God Records, where he produced and released material by artists including Devendra Banhart and Akron/Family.
In 2010, Gira reassembled Swans with a new lineup. Albums such as The Seer (2012), To Be Kind (2014), and The Glowing Man (2016) followed, each featuring extended track lengths and a focus on volume and repetition in live settings. The group’s lineup remained fluid after The Glowing Man, with Leaving Meaning (2019) and The Beggar (2023) marking a return to a more variable studio collective approach.
Retrofurista is a site on design, interesting things, audio visual arts, and food.
Discover more from RetroFuturista
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
