Swimming… | 5ive Songs

1. Death from Above 1979, “Never Swim Alone”

Outrage! Is Now • Warner • 2017

Canadian punk-rock duo Death from Above 1979 – Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger – returned in 2017 with its third studio album, Outrage! Is Now. The duo keeps things short and sweet on standout, “Never Swim Alone”. Chocked-full of energy, there are gritty, distorted, whiny vocals, a characteristic f-bomb (“Backseat conceive, so unclean / Plug it in like USB / 18 years, fuck being free…”), and sick guitar work. Ultimately, it’s simply delicious, especially the catchy chorus that tell us to, “NEVER. SWIM. ALONE!”

2. Lykke Li, “Deep End”

So sad so sexy • RCA • 2018

Following a four-year hiatus, alternative singer/songwriter Lykke Li returned in 2018 with her fourth studio album, so sad so sexy. The crème de la crème comes by way of “deep end.” Produced by T-Minus, Malay, and Jeff Bhasker, it’s not surprising how hip, slick, and thoroughly modern the record sounds.  Beyond the killer, minor-key, the Swedish singer successfully performs this well-written number, characterized most by the feisty, infectious, ‘swim-referencing’ chorus.

“Swimming pool, swimming pool
Swimming pool, swimming pool
Indigo, deep blue, deep blue
Oh, baby I know where you’ve been
I know where you been, in the deep end.”

3. Kendrick Lamar, “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

Good Kid M.A.A.D. City • Aftermath / Interscope • 2012

“Swimming Pools (Drank)” is among the many attractions from Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, the massively successful, Grammy-nominated 2012 album by Kendrick Lamar. Here,T-Minus delivers exceptional production work. As for K-Dot, well, he manages to tie swimming pools and alcohol together in an incredible and cohesive manner: “N***a why you babysittin’ only two or three shots? / I’mma show you how to turn it up a notch/ First you get a swimming pool full of liquor, then you dive in it/pool full of liquor, then you dive in it…” One of rap’s best singles of 2012 remains a gem in 2020.

4. Alt-J, “In Cold Blood”

Relaxer • Atlantic • 2017

Alt-J outdo themselves on “In Cold Blood,” a standout from their 2017 album, Relaxer. “In Cold Blood” features a sharp, gritty sound palette. Furthermore, the record features the use of binary code, and more notably, clever word play.  An incredibly fun record, it’s also a deadly, murderous one. Essentially, a fun, summer pool party turns into a killer one. The identity of the murderer is never revealed, but the quirky, sometimes ridiculous lyrics do suggest there’s a pool killer. Alt-J themselves admit the lyrics aren’t “massively deep”.

“Lifeless back slaps the surface of the pool
Pool killer, killer pool, pool killer...
Pool, summer, summer, pool, pool, summer vibes killed
In cold blood.”

5. Kid Cudi, “Swim in the Light”

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ • Republic • 2016

In the context of Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, the 2016 album by rapper Kid Cudi, “Swim in the Light” keeps things odd – experimental.  Limited lyrically, “Swim in the Light” paints a picture of the unchangeable: “You could try and numb the pain, but it’ll never go away.”  In essence, Cudi is filled with pain, and nothing can eliminate that pain completely.  He sings as opposed to raps this dark, intense joint.