The members of Current Swell no longer live together under a single roof — as they did years ago,
when the group first came together as a unit — but the bond between the four friends is stronger than
ever.
Touring the world for the better part of five years, from Brazil to Australia, often has that effect.
Current Swell’s years of experience on the road can be heard — and felt — in the nooks and crannies
of Long Time Ago, the new full-length from this rootsy Victoria, B.C. quartet. The record shifts
between upbeat folk (the title track, Long Time Ago) and singalong-ready roots rock (the first single,
Too Cold) with a fluidity and ease that could only come from continual touring.
The band originally wanted to call its fourth record People Not Places, as if to signify its new lyrical
direction. “We used to write about traveling, because that’s all we did for a while,” says singer-
guitarist Scott Stanton. “But on this record, we wrote mostly about people in our lives.”
Friends, acquaintances — even strangers — have been an integral aspect of Current Swell’s personal
and professional development. Decidedly grass-roots, the band has developed a strong online
following over the years, dating back to the independent release and promotion of its previous
recordings, So I Say (2005), Trust Us Now (2007), and Protect Your Own (2009).
Fans have remained steadfast in their support, something the members of Current Swell do not take
for granted. When the band earned first place at Vancouver’s Peak Performance Project (a 2011 radio
contest which awarded the group $100,500 for top prize), the first people on Current Swell’s thank-
you list were their fans.
“The online community has always backed us,” said singer-guitarist Dave Lang, addressing the group’s
considerable presence through iTunes and YouTube. “That is a big reason for our success.”
Steady momentum at the grass-roots level (the group’s video for its campfire-friendly single, Young
and Able, became a word-of-mouth YouTube success in 2010) has now translated to the stage, where
Current Swell shines. Their ability to capture a crowd was honed the old-fashioned way — through
constant practice. Current Swell has always tweaked things as needed, careful not to move in a
direction that feels inauthentic.
The band, which also features drummer Chris Petersen and bassist Ghosty Boy, started its career
with the most modest of expectations, playing shows in settings that ranged from backyards to
beaches. “When we first got together, we just started writing music for fun,” Stanton says. “Then we
got an opportunity to perform, and then we got an opportunity to tour. It wasn’t something we ever
chased too passionately at first. A lot of things just fell into place for us.”
The quartet struck upon a rhythm soon after, the size of its concerts increasing in tandem with its
rapidly progressing talent. Momentum kept Current Swell moving forward in the years that followed,
culminating last summer with a Canada Day concert before 45,000 people at the B.C. Legislature, one
of the largest concerts of its kind ever in Victoria.
That level of accomplishment (when coupled with sets in support of everyone from the Tragically Hip
and Xavier Rudd to K‘Naan, K-OS, The Beach Boys and more) suggests a band long-removed from its
learning-on-the-fly early days. That didn’t happen by accident.
“We’re all much more educated and knowledgeable about our career nowadays,” Stanton says. “We
feel like we know how to do this for a living.”
Despite years of careful planning and intuitive, thoughtful decisions, some things remain beyond
Current Swell’s control. Case in point: Brazil.
Through a mixture of circumstance and happenstance, the members of Current Swell are now the
beneficiaries of a large and loyal following in Brazil, the largest country in South America. The group
has just returned from a tour of the country, a trek which saw Current Swell headline two large
festivals in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, among the largest cities in the world.
“We’d get an e-mail here and there, ‘Please come to Brazil, I’m a huge fan,’ which was hilarious to
read,” Stanton says of the group’s throng of Brazilian fans. “But then we’d go on YouTube and there
was a bunch of people covering our songs. Someone even covered one of our music videos, lip-
syncing all our lyrics.”
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Stomach
Current Swell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talking about the waves
The way it feels to drop and to see
The falling she said is like a calling feeling that
Stomach in my cheek.
Slap in the face as opened my eyes staring at my face
And there's no stomach in my cheek
Where did that girl go?
Did you go back home to Mexico?
I have a chance to go but now I'm standing in the
Snow
Yes now I'm standing in the snow
One-way ticket in a bus drive to California
And they all the same betwen my toe
The wind blowing off to show
Got a sixel from the kid next door
And I got no time because I'm next in line
And Iґve almost done my thing
?Now falling that women just yet?
Feel my stomach in my cheek
Feeling my stomach in my cheek
So I'm Falling
I'm Falling
Falling
That girl she said it's like a calling
But I don't think I recognize them
Anymore the faces stretches that she had before
I though I came for the girl I need but instead I
Found that stomach in my cheek.
The lyrics of Current Swell's song Stomach are reflective of the uncertainty and change that often come with life's journey. The song weaves aspects of longing, confusion, and loss into a narrative that begins with a discussion about the ocean and drops the listener into a world where things just aren't quite as they seem. The opening line, "We started talking about the ocean, talking about the waves," serves as a metaphor for life, with the waves representing the highs and lows that one must navigate. The listener is then brought into a world where a sense of disorientation is palpable, as evidenced by the line, "Slap in the face as opened my eyes staring at my face, And there's no stomach in my cheek."
Throughout the song, the listener is taken on a journey that goes beyond the literal to explore the various emotions that one experiences as they navigate change. The line, "Did you go back home to Mexico? I have a chance to go but now I'm standing in the snow, Yes now I'm standing in the snow," explores the idea of missed chances and what might have been. This is echoed later in the song with the line, "I thought I came for the girl I need but instead I found that stomach in my cheek," which underscores the idea that sometimes what one thinks they want is not always what they need.
Overall, Current Swell's song Stomach is a poignant exploration of the human experience and the emotions that come with it. It is a reminder that life is often unpredictable but that ultimately we must learn to surrender to the journey.
Line by Line Meaning
We started talking about the ocean
We began discussing the vast body of salt water that covers most of the Earth's surface.
Talking about the waves
Specifically, we were discussing the movement of the ocean's surface in response to wind, currents, etc.
The way it feels to drop and to see
We were talking about the sensation of plunging into the ocean and seeing its depths firsthand.
The falling she said is like a calling feeling that
The sensation of falling into the ocean is a visceral experience that compels one to do it again.
Stomach in my cheek.
It's the feeling of the stomach rising up into the cheeks, as though it's trying to escape the body, when one is falling.
Slap in the face as opened my eyes staring at my face
I was abruptly jolted out of my dazed state when someone slapped me hard across the face.
And there's no stomach in my cheek
Unlike the sensation of falling into the ocean, there is no stomach-in-cheek feeling associated with being slapped.
Standing on the street
I find myself at a location on the road or pavement where vehicles pass through and people often walk.
Where did that girl go?
I am wondering about the whereabouts of a girl I was previously with.
Did you go back home to Mexico?
I am asking if the girl went back to her home country, Mexico.
I have a chance to go but now I'm standing in the
I had the opportunity to leave, but now I find myself staying put
Snow
I am standing in a cold precipitation that falls from the sky in the form of ice crystals
One-way ticket in a bus drive to California
I have purchased a mode of transportation that will take me to California, but it doesn't guarantee that I can return back.
And they all the same betwen my toe
There is little difference between the sand or gravel that is sticking to the bottom of my feet.
The wind blowing off to show
The breeze is making things visible that are not normally visible.
Got a sixel from the kid next door
A young neighbor has given me a small container holding some sort of liquid, likely alcohol.
And I got no time because I'm next in line
I need to hurry because my turn is coming up soon.
And I've almost done my thing
I am almost finished with my task at hand.
?Now falling that women just yet?
It is unclear if I have fallen for a certain woman yet.
Feel my stomach in my cheek
I feel that same stomach-in-cheek sensation as before.
Feeling my stomach in my cheek
The sensation is ongoing and not diminishing.
So I'm Falling
I am experiencing that falling sensation again.
I'm Falling
I am actively falling.
Falling
I am in the midst of the falling sensation.
That girl she said it's like a calling
The girl I was previously with likened the sensation of falling to being called to do something.
But I don't think I recognize them
I don't think I recognize those kinds of calls anymore.
Anymore the faces stretches that she had before
The girl's face no longer looks the same as it did before.
I thought I came for the girl I need but instead I
I thought I was seeking this girl for fulfillment, but instead...
Found that stomach in my cheek.
...what I actually found was that stomach-in-cheek sensation again.
Contributed by Alexander R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.