On February 15, 2019, SWMRS released their sophomore album, Berkeley’s On Fire. Three years after the Oakland punk band signed to the record label Fueled By Ramen and re released their debut album, Drive North, SWMRS has had lots of time to craft new tracks and cultivate the new era of their music. Since 2016, SWMRS has only grown, amassing a larger and larger fan base that shows no signs of plateauing. Berkeley’s On Fire is an album that ranges from protest anthems, to mellow acoustic, to experimental sounds, all in just ten tracks.
The titular track, “Berkeley’s On Fire” opens up the album. Inspired by the protests at UC Berkeley in 2017, “Berkeley’s On Fire” emphasizes the media portrayal of protests and how it can warp the narrative to those who are not experiencing the action first hand.
In fact, SWMRS are not shy about mentioning politics, movements, and world affairs. The fourth track on the album, “Lose Lose Lose”, Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin is blamed for “fucking up… shit.” It is no secret to those who are paying attention to the news that Russia’s relations with the USA have been at the forefront of concern for years. However, this song contains a more difficult reference to pick out. The line in Spanish, “And oh, mamá, no soy Patricia, soy Tania / Tania Guevara”, is a reference to the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army. The SLA was a left wing militant group from the 1970’s that was active in the Bay Area and committed various crimes. Hearst assumed the pseudonym of “Tania” while with the SLA, and claimed that she was brainwashed after she was kidnapped.
“Hellboy” also draws the attention of listeners due to its commentary on school shooting and America’s gun laws. This truly punk song dismantles a destructive system and cycle of violence that occurs when lawmakers fail to solve the problem and peers do not pick up on dangerous warning signs. This song packs a punch when performed live and gets the entire crowd energized.
While there are a good handful of loud punk songs on this LP, they are punctuated with more upbeat alternative and catchy acoustics. An example of this is “Too Much Coffee”, which echoes Drive North’s “Turn Up” with a peppy beat. Slower jams like “IKEA Date” and “Bad Allergies” offset the intensity of some of the more hardcore songs.
Although we enjoyed Berkeley’s On Fire, Drive North will always hold a special place in our hearts. In a way, it is unfair to compare the two albums because the nostalgia factor tends to take over. So much of Drive North related to our lives. Living in the Bay Area and growing up to the sounds of SWMRS was powerful for us and truly introduced us to the world of music. The community that we have found and the memories that we have made at shows during the Drive North era are ones that we will always fondly look back on.
While their first album focuses on home, SWMRS has turned to the big picture with this new release and their music becomes less relatable to the day to day scenario. Is this a sign that SWMRS is altering their message to encompass a larger spanning audience than their original Bay Area following? Most likely. Is this a bad thing? No, but for those who thrived on the nostalgia and local pride of SWMRS it will have to be an adjustment. SWMRS has lost no love for their place of origin, but their reach is surely becoming larger as they welcome more punk fans under their wings.
Listen to Berkeley’s On Fire and check out SWMRS below!