''Swim Against the Tide'' is the third

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by the English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

act

The Japanese House Amber Mary Bain (born 13 July 1995), known professionally as the Japanese House, is an English indie pop musician from Buckinghamshire. Bain contributes vocals and plays guitar, synthesizer and keyboard for her music. Bain decided to pursue a ...

, released on 11 November 2016 through

Dirty Hit Dirty Hit Limited is a British independent record label founded in February 2010 by Jamie Oborne, Chuck Waite, Brian Smith, and former England national football team, England footballer Ugo Ehiogu. Based in London since 2009, it has expanded op ...

. The EP's first two songs — "Swim Against the Tide" and " Face Like Thunder" — were released as singles before the EP's release. The EP peaked at number 12 on

Billboard's Heatseekers The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

album.

Background

The EP's lead single "Face Like Thunder" was written before the release of The Japanese House's debut album '' Pools to Bathe In'', and was adapted for inclusion in ''Swim Against the Tide''. Bain has stated that the inspiration for EP's final track, titled "Leon", came from the 1994 French film Léon: The Professional, and is based on the perspective of Matilda, a character from the film, after she had grown up.

Promotion

The EP's first single, " Face Like Thunder", was released the day after its premiere on

Annie Mac Annie Macmanus (born 18 July 1978), known professionally as Annie Mac, is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, includ ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

show as the EP's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

. "Swim Against the Tide", the EP's title track, was released as a single on 24 October 2016. "Good Side In", the final single from Swim Against the Tide was released on 31 October 2016 and premiered on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

's "World Record" on

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

. The full EP was released on 11 November 2016.

Musical style

The EP has been described as

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

, techpop, electro, and '80s pop. The EP featured Bain's distinctive use of overlapping harmonies and synths, and some tracks featured experimentation with instruments such as

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared ...

Reception

DIY gave the EP a positive review, awarding it 5 out of 5 stars, and stating that the lead single "Face Like Thunder" was "Amber

ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

��s most chart-ready pop hook to date". Atwood Magazine noted that it was lighter and more upbeat than her previous releases but "just as introspective and raw as her previous two EPs". "Face Like Thunder", the EP's lead single, was the most commercially successful track from the EP and had steady airplay on BBC Radio 1.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{The Japanese House 2016 EPs The Japanese House albums Indie pop albums by British artists Synth-pop albums by British artists