In the short amount of time it takes to play through, Part III opens lifetimes of feeling in its utterly soul-piercing, heartfelt sound.
How can so much emotion be packed into 12 minutes? Part III is the third EP from swim good now & The Techno Hall of Fame, two solo projects that together find the magic of collaboration. Part III follows the poppy Part I and the folkier Part II, both released in 2019. The successive three EPs show a gradual exploration of the project’s softer sounds and deeper meanings.
“Going Solo” opens with an honest declaration, “I’m gonna give it one more go/plant some seeds, let them grow.” The softness of crackling tape and auto-tuned vocals produce a wavering effect that gives this singer-songwriter sound its depth. “Of My Life” is one of those songs that can’t be described in anyone else’s terms — it just needs to be heard. Delicate strings and piano cradle words that are too heavy to hold any other way than in a song: “Some bodies are trusted to hold a much bigger soul than they’re designed to have.”
While its electro-acoustic vibe recalls Bon Iver’s 2011 self-titled album, the lyrics of “Deep Down” are personal and vulnerable: “There must be something bad and broken/deep, deep down[…] There must be something worth preserving/deep, deep down.” Closer “No Pipeline” is an instrumental palette cleanser, a moment to sit with all that richness before the EP closes. In the short amount of time it takes to play through, Part III opens lifetimes of feeling in its utterly soul-piercing, heartfelt sound.
