After All

What I like about this song is the slow pace, low key vocals and… 

The unexpected instrumentation.

What do I mean? 

Well there’s a horn sound that counters the guitar solo in the intro, you just don’t hear it coming but it just fits.

The lyrics are poetic, and I like this. 

“I laid down my mind in the space of your eyes,

Brushed away the times that were built from 

empty highs.”

Yeah I like that a lot.

It kind of reminds me a bit of Blur which is not a bad thing but the vocals are a lot more than that… the strings that come in give the song more of a lift too, which works really well.

The drummer gets some at around 2:16, building it up to a simple guitar solo instrumental section, this then leads the song into a separate part that sounds like a different song it’s in the relative minor of the original key – this lasts for a minute and then back to the main chorus.

That’s it. 

It’s a great tune, and I’m glad that it landed in my inbox! 

San Diego-bred Night Swims was born just after the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head. It began as the songwriting project of singer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Michael Thomas, who later recruited bassist David Savoian and drummer Nathan Atwood to join him the live lineup.

Listen to After All HERE

Words by Del Osei-Owusu