Liverpool indie rock duo King Hannah consists of Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle. On their first US tour, King Hannah could hardly believe where their debut album had taken them. They suddenly found themselves in the middle of the southwest desert of New Mexico, among places they had only seen on film and television. Their dogged determination and courage to swim towards their carefully planned vision had landed them in the middle of a scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Badlands, or one of the many true crime documentaries they watched when they weren't on tour. Being in a new environment opened their eyes to common occurrences that they might have ignored if they happened in Liverpool, and gave new perspectives. Large parts of the band's second album, Big Swimmer, reflect on stories from these trips where the duo shared the stage with Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore and at festivals around Europe and North America. In America in particular, Merrick and Whittle found themselves looking out the tour bus window as a kind of screen, allowing inspiration for their storytelling to flow in.
Coincidentally, the title track and album opener, “Big Swimmer,” was the last song written before they hit the road to go into the studio and record the follow-up to their debut album. A physical testament to the album's ultimate metaphor like a punch in the gut; that nothing is achieved by throwing in the towel. The new album reflects King Hannah's second act with a newfound understanding of their sound, their strengths, their gratitude and their vision for the band's future music. This understanding has no doubt led to the deep confidence heard in their new songs – Merrick's voice soaring, Whittle's guitar blazing – and the balance they've found while crossing the Atlantic, or the rock scenes on both sides of it anyway. Big Swimmer makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, between the sometimes prickly and often heartwarming imagery of its storytelling. When you listen, it is very likely that you will dream of going to a lake in the summer and want to jump in.