Entertainment

Swear And Shake’s New Video Finds Joy In A Fizzling Relationship

Down goes the house of cards

I was first introduced to Swear and Shake through a playlist an almost-lover gifted me on a trip to New York City. This was four years ago, which, whether by coincidence or fate, just so happens to be the last time the Nashville-by-way-of-Brooklyn trio released an album, their debut Maple Ridge.

It's extremely comforting to hear the power and tenderness of Kari Spieler's voice continue to shine through the now Nashville-inspired new material. "Tear Us Apart," the lead single off of Swear and Shake's forthcoming album, The Sound of Letting Go, brims with confidence and the all-too-familiar over-it attitude of a peeved lover. It might have sad origins, but the clarity a breakup brings is a welcome thing. Spieler's expression in the video, premiering here, says it all. 

"'Tear Us Apart' came to us like a burst of light," Spieler says. "While in the studio, we chose sounds that resonated just as brilliant and colorful: the horns, the gospel choir singing the 'la-las.' When we closed our eyes and listened back to the recording, we saw luscious reds and deep blues. So for the music video, we channeled those same hues. The house of cards was a lot of fun to build and even more fun to knock down—just as fragile and precarious as the relationship that inspired the lyrics." 

Check it out below. Swear and Shake's return will do your soul good; it sure has mine... again.