SWANS seventeenth studio album, Birthing, is released today via Mute / Young God Records (N America) on triple vinyl (in a brown chipboard sleeve, double CD (in a brown chipboard digi-pack), and digitally. Initial pressings of the triple vinyl and CD editions include a bonus DVD featuring ‘Swans Live 2024 (Rope) The Beggar’, a live concert film directed by Marco Porsia from the last Swans US tour, plus Christopher Nicholson’s documentary from Michael Gira’s solo tour in 2022 entitled ‘I Wonder If I’m Singing What You’re Thinking Me To Sing’.
“The material contained in this album was largely developed over the course of a yearlong Swans tour, during 2023 – 2024 (‘The Healers’, ‘I Am a Tower’, ‘Birthing’, ‘Guardian Spirit’, ‘Rope’, and ‘Away’), then recorded and further orchestrated and rearranged in the studio. Two pieces were created and performed in the studio (‘Red Yellow’, ‘The Merge’).
In all cases the material began with me sitting in my office with an acoustic guitar, singing and dreaming about what would become of these skeletal songs. I’m blessed to have such a stellar group of musicians to work with live (listed below), and through improvisation, endless revisions and an intensity of focus in performance (not to mention endurance), over the course of time the music morphed into what you generally hear on this collection.
This album, coupled with the recent live release, Live Rope, constitutes my final foray (as producer / impresario) into the all-consuming sound worlds that have been my obsession for years. We’ll do a final tour in this mode towards the end of 2025, then that’s it.
After that, Swans will continue, so long as I’m able, but in a significantly pared down form. Hints of that direction can be found in a few moments on the current album. In the meantime, my hope is that the music provides a positive and fertile atmosphere in which to dream.” – Michael Gira / Swans
The album release will be followed by a UK / European tour, with a confirmed line-up of: Michael Gira, Kristof Hahn, Dana Schechter, Larry Mullins, Phil Puleo, Christopher Pravdica, and Norman Westberg. The dates, which continue into November includes two shows at London’s Electric Brixton on 9, 10 and 11 November, and two dates at Berlin’s Festsaal Kreuzberg on 27 and 28 November, full details below. Support comes from Jessica Moss.
These will be the final shows with this expansive version of Swans. There will be no more dates added with this line up.
SWANS BIRTHING – VINYL & CD TRACKLISTING
- The Healers
- I Am a Tower
- Birthing
- Red Yellow
- Guardian Spirit
- The Merge
- Rope
- Away
SWANS BIRTHING – DIGITAL TRACKLISTING
- The Healers
- I Am a Tower
- Birthing
- Red Yellow
- Guardian Spirit
- The Merge
- (Rope) Away
SWANS UK / EUROPEAN TOUR
- 23 Oct – Leipzig (DE), Haus Leipzig
- 24 Oct – Neunkirchen (DE), Neue Geblassehalle
- 26 Oct – Munich (DE), Technikum
- 28 Oct – Prague (CZ), Archa+
- 29 Oct – Graz (AT), Halle Detroit
- 31 Oct – Ljubljana (SI), Kino Siska
- 1 Nov – Zagreb (HR), Boogaloo
- 3 Nov – Ferrara (IT), Teatro Comunale
- 4 Nov – Milan (IT), Auditorium di Milano
- 6 Nov – Paris (FR), Trabendo
- 7 Nov – Leeds (UK), Project House
- 9 Nov – London (UK), Electric Brixton
- 10 Nov – London (UK), Electric Brixton
- 11 Nov – London (UK), Electric Brixton
- 14 Nov – Leiden (NL), Nobel
- 15 Nov – Nijmegen (NL), Doomroosje
- 17 Nov – Copenhagen (DK), VEGA Store
- 19 Nov – Oslo (NO), Vulkan Arena
- 20 Nov – Stockholm (SE), Slaktkyrkan
- 22 Nov – Tallin (EE), Paavli Kultuurivabrik
- 24 Nov – Vilnius (LT), Kablys
- 25 Nov – Warsaw (PL), Stodoła
- 27 Nov – Berlin (DE), Festaal Kreuzberg
- 28 Nov – Berlin (DE), Festaal Kreuzberg
The European / UK tour is preceded by a North American tour in September / October, with Little Annie & Paul Wallfisch confirmed to support.
SWANS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
- 4 Sep – Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer
- 5 Sep – Washington, DC, The Howard Theatre
- 6 Sep – Norfolk, VA, The NorVa
- 9 Sep – Dallas, TX, Granada Theater
- 10 Sep – Austin, TX, Mohawk Austin
- 12 Sep – Albuquerque, NM, Sunshine Theater
- 13 Sep – Tucson, AZ, The Rialto Theatre
- 15 Sep – Los Angeles, CA, Lodge Room
- 16 Sep – Los Angeles, CA, Lodge Room
- 17 Sep – Los Angeles, CA, Lodge Room
- 20 Sep – San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
- 21 Sep – San Francisco, CA, Great American Music Hall
- 23 Sep – Seattle, WA, The Neptune Theatre
- 24 Sep – Portland, OR, Revolution Hall
- 27 Sep – Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater
- 28 Sep – Omaha, NE, Waiting Room Showroom
- 30 Sep – Chicago, IL, Cabaret Metro
- 1 Oct – Detroit, MI, The Magic Bag
- 3 Oct – Toronto, ON, Phoenix Concert Theatre
- 4 Oct – Montreal, QC, Théâtre National
- 6 Oct – Boston, MA, Paradise Rock Club
- 7 Oct – Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Steel
