Rough Trade
A. SWAYZE AND THE GHOSTS - Suddenly / Reciprocation 12"
Tasmanian garage-punks, A.Swayze and the Ghosts have rolled out their epic, 10 minute tune today titled “Reciprocation“, found on the flipside of their debut 12” released on Rough Trade Records.
Reciprocation is a cheeky but meaningful look at disjointed relationships that builds and explodes: “I want you, why don’t you want me back? I love you, why don’t you love me back?” A 10+ minute song on the b-side of your debut single isn’t a move for the faint of heart, but when it’s been written and recorded in a bedroom in the early hours of a freezing Tasmanian morning, what other offering is there?
The heartbeat of the drums acts as the only constant, churning through the song, battling both with and against Swayze’s meandering vocal delivery. Much like their live shows, it is chaos: but with a devastating need for cementation and control.
“Give it back” snarls Andrew Swayze, over and over, as if the end of Reciprocation turns into the climax of some low-budget 70s porno, but through the disguised sentiment there is an undeniable sensitivity and fragility- someone begging for any form of equilibrium- and this is mirrored in the music. Again; chaotic, tangential, but always regaining its centre.