![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/A1jFed9SX1L._AC_SL1500_-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFormed in Essex in 1989 by brothers Daniel and Tom Glendining, Headswim released their debut album \u2018Flood\u2019 in 1994. Following the death of their brother Matthew after a long battle with leukaemia, the band went on hiatus and re-emerged in 1987 with their sophomore album \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Veering away from the grunge sound of their debut, \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019 was a reflective album, exploring themes of death and spirituality, taking the band in a more alternative rock direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, almost 20 years down the line, Trapped Animal reissue this stunning body of work, with 7 bonus tracks, on vinyl for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Headswim were a band I was certainly aware of at the time.\u2018Tourniquet\u2019 was a top 30 single and saw the band appear on mainstream UK shows such as TOTP and TFI Friday, but maybe it was the Radiohead comparisons that put me off purchasing the album at the time. My bad, as \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019 has much broader influences than Thom Yorke\u2019s crew, but that said, it certainly is not an easy listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mid 90\u2019s was such a rich breeding ground for rock music, a time when alternative was mainstream, and music had a dark edginess to it. Given the lyrical themes, \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019 fits the musical landscape perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lead single \u2018Tourniquet\u2019 opens proceedings. It is the perfect mid 90\u2019s alt rock single. The falsetto vocals and the moody backing builds to an abrasive chorus that owes as much to Soundgarden and U2 as it does Radiohead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Hype\u2019 comes on like a grungy U2, Dan\u2019s vocals certainly have a Bono feel to them here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The acoustic led \u2019Clinging To The Wreckage\u2019 is emotive and heartfelt. Dan pouring his heart on his sleeve and not for the last time during the course of this album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s no surprise that the radio friendly \u2018Better Made\u2019, with its soaring strings and uplifting chorus was a single, it\u2019s rich and instantly gratifying. Elsewhere, \u2018Old Angel Midnight\u2019 sounds like something off The Cult\u2019s self-titled \u201894 album, which makes sense. The acoustic led, stripped-back \u2018Holy Ghost\u2019 is simple and full of harmony. It builds with strings and keys that just help to accentuate the beautiful feel of the song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a whole \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019 is a deep album that keeps giving the more you scratch beneath the surface. The soaring vocals and instrumentation give an ethereal feel and the abrasive guitars add punch. The trip-hop beats of \u2018Wishing I Was Naive\u2019 and \u2018Moving On\u2019 are the only thing that ages the album, yet as a whole it sounds pretty fresh in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Radiohead comparisons are realised on the bonus tracks rescued from the Sony archives. The haunting \u2018Last Subway Coma\u2019 and the rockier, Soundgarden feel of \u2018Plagued\u2019 are certainly worth exploring more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was also surprised that I knew \u2018No Ticket\u2019 really well, is it a cover? A bit of digging and turns out it was previously available on \u2018Summer Slam\u2019, a compilation CD given away free with Kerrang! Remember, that was one of the only outlets for new music pre-streaming days for us music junkies. It\u2019s the strongest of the bonus cuts for sure and should\u2019ve been on the album. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An alternative version of \u2018Tourniquet\u2019 with strings recorded at Abbey Road wraps the album up and adds even more cinematic soundscapes to a 90\u2019s classic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1998 may seem like a lifetime ago, yet \u2018Despite Yourself\u2019 holds up well after all these years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hats off to Trapped Animal for the latest in their Headswim reissues, reacquainting those who were fans with the band, hopefully gaining some new ones along the way, and ultimately giving this lost 90\u2019s classic the treatment it truly deserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n