Swiftumz

***“CHRIS MCVICKER’s SWIFTUMZ project races back to life with two recent singles, having rested a good long while off his fantastic, barely-noticed full-length Don’t Trip. That record had cuz’s phone number on the sticker and I hope someone called him. These ones are free of such gimmicks and go straight to the music. The label name ‘Sugar Mountain’ is apt here, as these are at the threshold of tooth decay but striking enough in their scope that you don’t notice you’ve gotten sick. No headaches here, anyway; ‘Willy’ is one of those kinds of songs you hang your whole career on, with seam-ripping lead guitar reclining into a stinging pattern of single-chord reverb after every triumph torn out, McVicker’s airy cherubic voice singing of travel and escape and longing. It stings you in the eyes with its brightness and lashes itself into your ears, that reverb giving you time to recalibrate before another unforgettable lead piles up against the rocks. Mr. Swiftumz is the kind of guy that ghostwrites for Hunx & His Punx, and that sort of handiwork turns up on ‘Can We Get Together,’ fine on its own. The other single is just slightly less manic, but no less sweet: “Love Ya 4 Ever” jabs you with about four songs’ worth of melodies competing for your attention, effortlessly bridging twee pop with the Buzzcocks, pushing his voice up to the front and refusing to sit still. You want both of these because they capture the thrill of the first time you bought a great single, and how excellent it made you feel and how you could repeat that feeling over and over again just by lifting the needle.”—Doug Mosurock