Officially available for the first time in 40 years, Swell Maps' The John Peel Sessions will be released on CD and digitally on September 12, 2025 via Mute.
Listen to “Midget Submarines” from the band’s second Peel Session, recorded just before the release of their 1979 debut, A Trip To Marineville HERE.
Noisy, chaotic, and defiantly experimental, Swell Maps may not have found commercial success in their time, but their impact on music is undeniable, they went on to be an inspiration to bands such as R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, The Pastels, Stereolab, and Nirvana (Kurt Cobain was often seen sporting a Swell Maps t-shirt).
A democracy within the confines of punk’s “anything is possible” maxim, members Biggles Books, Jowe Head and brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks, helped shape the landscape of post-punk and DIY music.
Formed in the early ’70s and fully realized by 1976, Swell Maps embodied the DIY ethos, launching their own label and self-releasing the jagged, frenetic debut single “Read About Seymour” in 1978. Peel was an early supporter, playing their record as soon as it landed on his desk, a moment the band described as one of disbelief and elation. His regular airplay of their music helped solidify their cult status and these sessions capture the raw energy, off-kilter melodies, and boundary-pushing creativity that defined them.
The John Peel Sessions brings together all three of their recordings for John Peel’s sessions – from October ’78, May ’79, and March ’80 – that were originally broadcast on his show on BBC Radio 1, a vital document of Swell Maps at their most unfiltered - three sessions of unpredictable, exhilarating noise.
The CD and digital release of Swell Maps’ The John Peel Sessions is out on September 12. Pre-order it HERE.
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