New York (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Fueled By Ramen Records has announced the release of Flint, Michigan-based band The Swellers' new album. The acclaimed group, known for their merging of melodic hooks and hard-edged punk power, have released "UPS AND DOWNSIZING," their Fueled By Ramen debut, which is available in stores and online today,
September 29th.
The Swellers will join labelmates Paramore on their fall tour, which kicks off tonight in Pomona, CA at the Fox Theatre. The trek continues through October (see dates below).
Brothers Nick and Jonathan Diener started The Swellers as a trio in 2002. The group molded its sound - a cross between classic punk and '90s rock - at the Vehicle City's local music incubator, the legendary Flint Local 432, an all-ages, volunteer-supported club. After cutting their teeth at "The Local" for a few years, the band hit the road to support their first release, a 2005 EP entitled "Beginning of The End Again" on Ann Arbor, MI label Search and Rescue Records. In 2007, the band released the critically acclaimed "My Everest," their first full-length album. To record "UPS AND DOWNSIZING," the Diener brothers were joined by new band members Ryan Collins and Anto Boros, solidifying the band's current line-up.
In true punk tradition, "UPS AND DOWNSIZING" is the outraged cry of a band that has seen its world on the precipice. The album's title song, and much of the album, was inspired by what has been happening in Michigan long before the recession hit the rest of the country - dwindling jobs, people moving out of state, a bleak future - and how it hit the Diener brothers at home. Their father was laid off from an automotive-related job, forcing he and the brothers' mother to move to North Carolina.
"UPS AND DOWNSIZING" premiered exclusively on MySpace this past weekend, allowing fans an early listen to the album. In addition, the band's music video companion for its first single, "Fire Away," premiered exclusively on Blender.com yesterday, Monday, September 28th. Ernest Garth directed the music video, which was shot in Detroit. Visit https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid6622400001?bctid=42414674001 to watch "Fire Away."
"UPS AND DOWNSIZING" has already received incredible acclaim. "The only question you'll have, even after just one listen, is why on earth aren't this band already huge. It's just that good," raves Alternative Press, awarding the album 4.5 out of 5 stars. "The Swellers have topped their Everest and written an album that might just be the perfect balance of melodic & pop punk since [Green Day's] 'Dookie,'" gushes Absolute Punk.
For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit www.fueledbyramen.com and www.myspace.com/theswellers.
THE SWELLERS - Ups and Downsizing (Fueled By Ramen)
1. 2009
2. Fire Away
3. Sleeper
4. Welcome Back Riders
5. Feet First
6. Do You Feel Better Yet
7. Ups and Downsizing
8. The Iron
9. Watch it Go
10. Stars
11. Dirt
THE SWELLERS Fall 2009 Tour:
SEPTEMBER
29 Pomona, CA Fox Theatre *
30 Riverside, CA UCR Belltower (early show w/ The Mighty)
OCTOBER
1 Los Angeles, CA The Palladium *
2 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre *
4 Denver, CO The Fillmore *
6 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre *
7 St. Louis, MO The Pageant *
9 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium *
10 Chicago, IL House of Blues *
11 Detroit, MI The Fillmore *
14 Flint, MI University of Michigan-Flint (album release show w/ Island View Drive, Shark Week, Destination: Destroy Yourself)
15 Toronto, ON Kool Haus *
16 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre *
17 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory *
19 Boston, MA House of Blues *
20 New Bedford, MA Accubilliards
21 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom *
22 Rockville Center, NY Vibe Lounge (Anxious Arms, The Overunder, An Endless Assembly)
23 Freehold, NJ Freehold VFW (w/ Farewell, The Years Gone By)
24 Norfolk, VA The Norva *
26 Orlando, FL House of Blues *
27 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle *
28 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox Laundrolounge
31 Gainesville, FL The FEST 8
* Supporting Paramore
