Pre-release review: Cosmic Immigrants - Swindled

Just a few weeks since they released their naughty song Dear Past Life, Sunderland-based 5-piece band Swindled, are back with their new single, Cosmic Immigrants. The production of the song has the cosmic element, but it’s clear from the lyrics that the reference is metaphoric

The song seems to have a deep meaning about someone who travelled to another world. It raises the issues of this world and the situations we find ourselves in. The way the lyrics are formed is quite clever. It’s like they start telling you the story, but then they start trying to disguise it and make it sound a bit more generic. Maybe starting to hold back, as it seems to be getting deeper. But it’s also consistent with someone being frustrated by the reality and then going from one thought to another, ending up in a more philosophical analysis, driven by emotions. It could be a case of the verses being the initial inspiration, driven by more intense emotions, while the rest was added with a different mindset. And with songs like this, sometimes it’s better if we don’t hear the exact story from the songwriter, so we can apply the lyrics to alternative scenarios.

The mixture of influences is noticeable through the production, with elements of pop, retro style rock, distorted riffs and a rather long guitar solo. Cosmic Immigrants is a song they’ve been playing live for a long time, getting a very good reaction from the crowd. It’s part of their 2025 EP, What A Nightmare.

Swindled are Jonny, Alex, Will, Felix and Thomas. They identify themselves as Art Pop. They are a pop band with two electric guitars on stage. They like an acoustic rhythm enforced with a distorted guitar sound fill. They seem to be inspired by different genres from different eras and when they throw all those influences into the pot, they seem to find the right chemistry.

Cosmic Immigrants is out on Monday 7/4/2025.