It’s hard to believe that “Swimming Through The Night” is Soda Blonde’s first single. Four of five members of Irish alternative rock band Little Green Cars have come together to form Soda Blonde, but “Swimming” is certainly not a transition song.
Born from lyrics lead singer Faye O'Rourke wrote in her early 20's, "Swimming Through The Night" was written in about 25 minutes. "That's rare for me," she says as we catch up over the phone. "It started off as a ballad. It went through about four or five different arrangements before we arrived at this one. There was a Phil Collins-y drum solo at one point!" The creative percussion is present, Phil Collins solo or not, as drummer Dylan Lynch plays the introductory percussion on kitchenware, a callback to that golden era of off-kilter eighties pop. The not-so-quiet triumph of "Swimming Through The Night" is O'Rourke's unique voice. There's an effortlessness to the way she throws away a line like "Oh, whatever," and simultaneously a weightiness to "Beauty was the friend that I never, ever had." She's always had that electric capability to flit between earnestness and nonchalance. "It's like Lykke Li's 'so sad so sexy.' She really hit the nail on the head with that one," she laughs.
O’Rourke, Lynch, Donagh Seaver O’Leary, and Adam O’Regan have been playing together since they were teenagers. It's no surprise that their sound is as honed as it is, or that "Swimming Through The Night" is entirely self-produced. Little Green Cars took a three year hiatus from releasing music before announcing their amicable annulment a few months ago. "Our sounds were just going in different directions, and the four of us have such good chemistry. Well, five of us, actually. I love Stevie, he's one of my heroes in terms of his writing." "Swimming" is a glittering pop track, made by some of Ireland's finest musicians. "It really does feel like we're starting from ground zero," O'Rourke says. "Swimming Through The Night" is the dipping of Soda Blonde's toes in the pool. They might be testing the water, but summer's here, and I have a hunch they're just warming up.
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