Volatile, introspective and painfully honest, the first single bid of 2024 for swim school is a ripper. Having just come off their tour supporting The Amazons, January was the prime time for the Edinburgh rockers to hand us ‘Give Me A Reason Why’.

The mighty ‘delirious’ and ‘kill you’ were favourites in 2023 for polar-opposite reasons; one incredibly riotous, the other soft and petal-delicate. But this latest offering is a ferocious tune that begins with tight drumming as the main hero behind Alice’s silken vocals. But in true, recent swim school fashion, the bass-heavy riffs take charge and you get this storming bridge and chorus. The sound far exceeding the whopping strength of their now-three-piece setup.

Lyrically, there’s a point to prove about the misalignment and liberating disbanding of two people. It’s that sharp, palpable transparency that supplies this song with even further edge. And further in, regretful, more wistful tones emerge by way of juxtaposition, but they’re soon stamped out through a crashing of muted strings.

I’d have once argued that 2021 had been swim school’s uber-triumph of a year, but now it seems 2024 might be shake that up… Give the new track a spin here.