Swim Deep breathed new life into their hit song, ‘King City’, this time featuring Jenny Lee Lindberg, a.k.a. jennylee, of Warpaint, who is referenced in the original track’s iconic lines, “Fuck your romance / I wanna pretend / That Jenny Lee Lindberg is my girlfriend”. It first came out in 2013 as part of their debut album, Where the Heaven Are We. Following its ten-year anniversary, ‘King City (Jennylee’s Version)’ was released.
Austin Williams, the frontman, describes the song being about “fleeing the small towns and cities I was raised in, yet keeping love and admiration for the precious youth I spent there.” The original has connotations of longing; this version seems to have culminated in a full-circle moment of Williams being able to work with his childhood hero.
The collaboration came about when jennylee, who is the bassist of Warpaint, reached out to Swim Deep, letting them know she had been made aware of the song and was flattered by its sentiment. She describes this collaboration with Swim Deep as “darker”.
The original, being heavily driven by synthesiser melodies, is carefree and upbeat in tempo. This version emphasises the repetition of lyrics, and the layering of vocals, and introduces a new rhythmic bass riff. Putting more focus on the instrument jennylee is famous for, aside from being a thoughtful embellishment, lends itself well to the ambience of the song, making it feel hypnotic.
‘King City (Jennylee’s Version)’ proves to be a counterargument to the adage ‘never meet your heroes’. Sometimes, you meet them, work on a song with them, and it turns out just fine.
Words by: Marinel Dizon
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