The songs of Swim Camp’s Tom Morris act as a cloaking device against life’s sharpest edges. Often starting out little more than bedroom noodles, they disappear down side streets to discover far grander avenues – providing small pockets of time within which we can mull over the positive and negative influence of our surroundings.  

Ahead of the release of his new two-song 7″ – Stupid Thing/First Day Back – we caught up with Morris to discuss his top five tracks of the moment, and gained a glimpse into how they have influenced his own work.

Bedhead – Bedside Table

I was listening to a ton of Bedhead while I was working on this 7” and I think they influenced me in a lot of ways. This song is a slow burn, kind of in a similar way to Stupid Thing. I also really like how tender the vocal delivery is on this track and that’s something I carried with me into this recording. I really like the wall of sound that Bedhead gets on this track and it was also something I was looking for with Stupid Thing. I wanted your ear to get pulled in a lot of different places.

MJ Lenderman – Left Your Smile

 

This track is another one that just smolders. It takes it’s time getting where it’s going and isn’t afraid to be sparse or open as it gets there. I think that’s something I am appreciating more and more in music. I am trying to let stuff breathe a little more and this song is a big inspiration. It is lo-fi, but feels well recorded, which is also the eye of the needle I am trying to thread. Overall, this song just aches and I really love that about MJ’s songwriting.

Lomelda – Hannah Sun

This was one of the best songs to come out in 2020. Hannah’s ability to tell stories without holding your hand through each moment is remarkable. I tried to carry that into my own narrative for this track. Sort of just showing glimpses of moments and allowing the listener to fill in the space between. Additionally, the production on this song is nearly perfect and was a huge sonic reference for me in the studio.

Hovvdy – Turns Blue

This song was released as part of the Saddle Creek document series a few years ago and it has always stayed with me. My buddy, Amber, showed it to me and it has made its way into so much that I’ve worked on since then. The simplicity of the drums, the richness of Will’s voice, the pining lyrics are all something that I want in music I listen to and as a result, the music that I am making as well.

Friendship – Clairvoyant

I’ve been a fan of Friendship for a while now, but this song, to me, is their best. The way that Dan’s sort of deadpan delivery interacts with the steel is truly magical. The drum sound is perfect. The story of the song is really small and personal in a way that makes it hit really hard. Overall, this song is just perfect.

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