“Nothing Safe Is Technicolour” by Night Swimming

I’ve been following Bristol’s Night Swimming ever since last year’s ephemeral “Whispers on Argyle” single, which ended up being one of my favorite songs of 2025. Although the quintet has been releasing new music at a pretty steady pace, Melting, Sometimes Bleeding is only their second EP, and it reveals the band continuing to refine their sound.

Bands like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive are the most obvious touchstones for Night Swimming’s dreamy sonics, but “Nothing Safe Is Technicolour” finds them embracing a more detached — though no less atmospheric — sound that brings to mind Broadcast. Although Night Swimming don’t employ the same levels of hauntological trippiness, the song still veers into stranger territory thanks to Meg Jones’ layered vocals and surreal lyrics (“For some time, I was walking through treacle, trying not to crash/And the insects were trapped at my ankles as it turned to black”) while her bandmates conjure up an increasingly ominous backdrop.

Just to be clear, the rest of Melting, Sometimes Bleeding is also well worth checking out, particularly “Submarine,” which seems to more towards a more “traditional” dream pop sound before revealing some subtle twists and shifts of its own.

Melting, Sometimes Bleeding is currently available from Venn Records.