Russell Swallow talks to Pop Affairs about his latest single and his new EP!

Singer Russell Swallow recently released his latest single Chemicals. I have only just discovered Russell because I don't listen to that much indie music, but after listening to Chemicals I will definitely be listening to him more in the future! Russell has such a lovely and distinctive voice, and I can actually imagine Chemicals  being played in a film, Both Russell's songwriting and voice give him the potential to become incredibly successful in his career, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him. I was also lucky enough to ask Russell all about his latest single and the upcoming release of his new EP!

Congratulations on your new single ‘Chemicals’! What was the inspiration behind the song?
It's a call to arms, on a very personal universal scale - reminding myself and others to look up from what's immediately gratifying and work to connect with experiences more deeply.

Was music something you had always wanted to do?
When I was a kid I toyed with the idea of being an astronaut, or writing my own magazine, but once I'd heard Jeff Buckley's 'Lover, You Should Have Come Over' I was hooked on the possibilities of music, for expression and experimenting.

What advice would you give to any Pop Affairs readers who want to become artists?
Listen to lots of different music, develop your taste, listen to your gut instinct, and stay true to yourself.

What’s your favourite song you’ve ever written and why?
Oh, now that's a hard question! It's usually whichever song I'm working on. I spent the Summer roaming through California, and started writing a new song about what's been happening in the past few years in the U.K. So much change, upheaval, lies and misdirection from positions of power. The song (working title London Skies) is about recognising your power for good, and also your demons, learning how to live with each of them and not be led astray by them

What’s your biggest career goal? 
World domination. And enough money to afford really good whiskey. 
​Seriously I want to be able to choose who to work with, and to be able to craft truly compelling sounds and stage performances - exploring the relationship between human experience, sound and technology.

Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Somebody in a completely different style to what I've written so far, that would be really interesting for me. I've been working on a slow rap/more spoken word style of delivery, so it would be really interesting to spend some time with somebody like Chance The Rapper.

Finally, your new EP ‘A.M. - B.P.M.’ is out in December, what can fans expect from this EP?
A.M. - B.P.M. is the first thing I'm releasing under my own name, and is a 4-track introduction to my musical taste and world. There is a loose narrative about a couple meeting and exploring one another for the first time, surviving a natural disaster, only to find that they're destructive for each other. It's the first 4 tracks in a set of 8, with EP2 coming in Spring 2018.
Sonically, it ranges from the hushed harmony drenched ambience of Sing To Me, through to the driving indie-electro of Chemicals.

Follow Russell on Spotify here!