Swim Surreal Releases New Single; Announces June Album Co-Written/Produced By UK's Zero 7

SWIM SURREAL RELEASES NEW SINGLE, "BLOOM" - LISTEN OFFICIAL "BLOOM" VISUALIZER STREAMING NOW - WATCH FOLLOWS FIRST SINGLE, "THE CROWD"; GARNERING STRONG SPINS AT KCRW, KCRW ECLECTIC 24, KCSN, KXCI, VOCALO, HYFIN, WUNC, AND MORE BOTH SONGS TAKEN FROM DEBUT ALBUM, IN THE HALF LIGHT, (CO-WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY ZERO 7) OUT JUNE 21 PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW

Artwork for "Bloom" by Jo Binns

Embracing the enigmatic as a canvas for sonic storytelling, England's Zero 7 unveils captivating new music alongside California-based collaborator Swim Surreal. Together, they announce their debut album, In The Half Light, set for release on June 21 via Make Records. Pre-orders are available now. Accompanying the album announcement is the seductive second single, "Bloom." Following closely behind the captivating debut single, "The Crowd," a West Country/West Coast love affair with bittersweet self-reflection that has caught the attention of many tastemaker radio stations in America garnering strong airplay at KCRW, KCRW Eclectic 24, KCSN, KXCI, VOCALO, HYFIN, WUNC, and others, "Bloom" offers another intriguing glimpse into the sonic tapestry of Swim Surreal and Zero 7. LISTEN TO "BLOOM" WATCH "BLOOM" OFFICIAL VISUALIZER LISTEN TO "THE CROWD" PRE-ORDER IN THE HALF LIGHT # # # The story began back in 2013 when Zero 7 and Swim Surreal joined forces to create "Don’t Call It Love," a hidden gem buried away on an obscure white-label release. And so the tale unfolds…   Late one night, the phone reverberated on the bedside table. It signaled another dispatch from the mercurial Californian musician, Swim Surreal, no doubt fresh from another cosmic splash in the Pacific. The email, directed to Zero 7, was sparse in text. However, attached was an innocent-looking audio file. Curiosity dictated the next move.   Swim Surreal’s soulful croon crackled through the speaker, delicately weaving around a sun-dappled melody — a taste of the West Coast finding its way to North London.   And thus, the dialogue resumed. Swim Surreal inundated Zero 7 with demos — arriving sporadically, each one a unique manifestation of his rich timbre, sometimes accompanied by piano or guitar. Occasionally, there'd be no music at all — just a digressive five-minute audio file excitedly describing Salvador Dali’s belief that a train station in Perpignan, Spain, was the center of the creative universe. It was unpredictable but undeniably intriguing.   Looking back, it was a journey of about-turns, detours, kernels of ideas abandoned, picked up, and dropped again. There was little structure. They were never quite sure of what they had or where they were going. But sometimes, things have a momentum of their own. It’s the ineffable magic of music-making — the very essence that makes it so uniquely special…and addictive.   Slowly but surely, sketches gave way to fleshed-out songs. Through a fog of uncertainty, a record emerged. Its sound was inviting, intimate, and inclusive. Swim Surreal’s lyrics were a tapestry of emotions — lovelorn, heartbroken, defiant, and emphatic — a melange of confliction. Were they autobiographical? Or merely a mirage of discontent? Perhaps they were simply an exorcism of demons long past? It was hard to know.   Once the album was in the can, they turned to Jo Binns whose evocative landscape paintings completed the picture, aiding the imagination on its merry wander.

Artwork for In The Half Light by Jo Binns

Swim Surreal's debut album, In the Half Light, transports listeners to another time, place, and mental space. Nine songs telling a tale that began in the half-light and, somehow, resides there still.   CONNECT WITH SWIM SURREAL: INSTAGRAM CONNECT WITH ZERO 7: FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE