New & hot: Alternative Rock

Normal Friends

Climbing

Climbing (Solomun Club Edit)

Amsterdam natives Maarten Smeets and Lars Dales, aka Dam Swindle, unveil their third long-player with the release of a new track, the first to be shared from the upcoming album, ‘Open’ - out on 30 May 2025 via Heist Recordings.

The new album sees the acclaimed duo dive far beyond the deep sonic waters they’re most known for, exploring lower tempos, synthwave, hip-house, and ambient across fourteen tracks. With a gestation period that traces back several years, ‘Open’ is their most intimate and personal body of work thus far, birthed during a time of self-reflection away from touring and personal transformation as individuals.

“We felt the need to tell a very personal story through our music as a translation of our personal development in the past years. We also wanted to make music without a specific goal in mind; We simply wanted to create. By taking away the grid of dance music and any expectations of what a Dam Swindle song should sound like, the creativity started to flow naturally with songs in many different styles and tempos. The result is an album that feels refreshing and uplifting and still very much true to the heart and soul of our sound.” - Dam Swindle, January 2025.

While the trademark Dam Swindle four-to-the-floor beats are still ever-present on tracks like ‘The Present Is Always Perfect’, ‘I Need You’, and ‘Is This Love?’, it’s the gentle waves of synths on opener ‘Home’, the contemplative piano chords of ‘Bloom’ featuring Joep Beving, and the lo-fi ambience of ‘It’s Okay, I Can Wait’ that showcase a melancholic, ethereal sensibility previously uncharted by the duo. Collaborations with vocalists such as NYC’s Haile Supreme on ‘Not Enough’ and Neo-soul singer Faye Meana on ‘Girl’ expertly find room in between the dancefloor and home listening sessions, and a clear standout on the LP is the title cut where message-heavy rapped vocals from UK artist Samson ebb and flow amongst iridescent grooves.

Under the helm of Maarten and Lars’ adept A&R, their Heist imprint has become a beloved home for house heads of both schools old and new, platforming some of dance music’s biggest names from Cinthie to DJ Sneak as well as the musical dawnings of artists such as Kassian and Makèz. The Dam Swindle alias has achieved house music royalty-like status across a storied 15-year career that includes two critically lauded full-lengths, collaborations with the likes of Tom Misch and Kerri Chandler, and a globetrotting touring schedule. This album stands as their most profoundly personal work of art to date, and they can’t wait to share it with you.


Open

Buy here!

Dam Swindle - Not enough feat. Haile Supreme

Song for You / The Wizard

Song for You

Movement Therapy

Everyone's Beautiful When They Do What They Love

So High

Elado - Funk Machine

CLUB NF VOL. 2

Some Kind of Static (CLUB NF Version)

Hypnotised

Hypnotised (feat. Linden Jay)

Instagram @kingtheta
Twitter @realkingtheta

Lyrics:
Arrive warm
Leave cold
I carry a storm in my gut
Bright eyes
Windows
Tryin to pry them unshut
A sweet tooth
A sharp tongue
Tellin the truth, the truth hurts
Hunger
Well fed
Quench thirst it gets worse

Sun don't flicker
Stop breakin the day
I'm still invisible
Fading away

It's never enough
Keep my pride under pressure
Maybe I'm meant to disappear
It's never enough
I could always be better
I'll never be
Never be seen
I'm still invisible fading away

Freedom:
A cold cage
Lock me up with my shame
Push out
Shrink back
Function under two names
Sleep well
Spare change
I spent the night in cold chains
Dream smart
Play dumb
I'm the star of two games

Sun don't flicker
Stop breakin the day
I'm still invisible
Fading away

It's never enough
Keep my pride under pressure
Maybe I'm meant to disappear
It's never enough
I could always be better
I'll never be
Never be seen
I'm still invisible fading away

Don't forget my name
Don't forget my face
Keep in eye on me in case
I need you to take my place
Just don't forget my name

It's never enough
I could always be better
I'll never be
Never be
(Sun don't flicker)
It's never enough
I could always be better
I'll never be
Never be seen
(I'm still invisible)

Invisible

[prod. Diamoon] @diamoonofnhg

Drain my heart until its vacant 💔

Lyrics:
She was such a blood sucker
Howd i end up a heart breaker
Girl i know that you are a liar
But i really miss the way youd fake shit

Drain my heart until its vacant
You know that i wont try to save it
I just wanna think about her
It hurts because i really loved you 

Feel the rain drops on my skin
The ice below me's getting thin
Sink below and drown within
ill sit and watch the lights grow dim

Lights out i hope it stays that way frvr
This is my one and true surrender
And when its all over
Sucking out my blood, i just hope that i can hold her

She was such a blood sucker
Howd i end up a heart breaker
Girl i know that you are a liar
But i really miss the way youd fake shit

Drain my heart until its vacant
You know that i wont try to save it
I just wanna think about her
It hurts because i really loved you

BLOOD SUCKER!

[prod. remghost] @remghost

Lyrics:
These feelings push people away
So i have to pretend that its okay
Im a burden and cause stress on your day
I truly hate myself for being this way

Its not like theres anything that i can say
It wont be better if i stay
I dont wanna drain you
Thats why my smile is fake too

Please dont waste your energy 
On a hopeless case like me
I dont want to make you suffocate
And pull you under deep with me

I need some help
But thats all the time
Worry bout yourself
Even if im not fine

This is always fucking happening
I dont wanna bring you down
Complaining about everything 
i just want to be alone now

I can never put my phone down
Its like a endless cycle spinning round
I dont want you to know now
The person in my head is a let down

Hopeless

Took a While

Coming Back Around

 Kill Me Kate (this is your pop song)
 prod. by Madatracker

Kill Me Kate prod by Madatracker

contact: nf@jet-mgmt.com

agent (usa): lhughes@paradigmagency.com & amctaggart@paradigmagency.com

Coming Back Around

NEIL FRANCES

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