WATCH: Swoll Shares ‘Do You Know What’s Changed?’

New album, Avoid Attach, out Sept. 26

September 25, 2025September 29, 2025 Ron Hart 0 Comments Avoid Attach, Baltimore, Blight Records, Matt Dowling, Paperhaus, Swoll, The Effects

Matt Dowling of Swoll. (Image: Blight Records)

Matt Dowling is best known for his work as the bassist for such acclaimed DMV bands as The Effects (Dischord Records), Deleted Scenes (Park the Van Records), and Paperhaus (Misra Records).

But with his latest project Swoll, the Baltimore musician has turned to his affinity for electronic sounds and trap beats, which is then injected with the energy of a live rock performance. Imagine Shudder to Think produced by Lil Yachty, an amalgamation that becomes even more resonant on the group’s new album Avoid Attach, which comes out tomorrow.

Reflecting on the themes woven throughout the upcoming record, Dowling explains, “I wanted to turn the psychological condition of avoidant attachment style into a verb that feels relevant right now. Avoidant attachment style is perhaps best described by Kevin Barnes’ Of Montreal lyric ‘I need you here, and not here too.’ It’s a particularly modern condition that’s simultaneously psychological and physical. It sort of sounds bad and unhealthy (it is on the clinical edge of a disorder), but things like social media and AI, which are simply wildly popular modern tools, are particularly good places to ‘avoid attach.’ I also think things sort of feel overall bad and unhealthy in the world right now, but that could just be a coincidence, or my own projection.”

Rock & Roll Globe is proud to share with you the new album’s second single “Do You Know What’s Changed?,” accompanied by its sublimely trippy music video, today on the site.

“’Do You Know What’s Changed?’ is the very first I started recording for this set of songs,” Dowling explains. “The first tracking points were almost five years ago, which is crazy to think about, and at the time I really had no context for a full record. As such, the song has gone through many iterations, with the earliest mixes having a fairly similar production approach to my last record. So, a lot of sampled drums, and overall a very electronic feeling. Then, as all the other songs started coming together with a much more live ‘band in a room’ feel, I was like ‘I gotta start from the beginning’ with the tracking. It was a lot of work, but I’m really glad I did it because Erik’s drumming sounds way cooler, and the room recording of the bass is way better.

“I stuck with the song because people seemed to like it, and I could tell there was something special enough to push it forward. Lyrically, it’s kind of about looking at things unfold over a long period of time, in a conversation with someone you care about but may be distant now. So much is changing each and every day, but there’s a lot that fundamentally stays the same, or changes very little over time. It’s interesting to try to identify what has truly changed vs what is just noise. The distant perspectives coming back together help identify what’s real and what’s hyperbole, and that’s an awesome thing about reconnection.”

Avoid Attach was tracked by Dan Angel and Ben Schurr in Philadelphia, PA. The record was mixed by Alex Tebeleff in Los Angeles, CA and mastered by Sarah Register in Brooklyn, NY.

Pre-order Avoid Attach on Swoll’s Bandcamp page today.