SWOMP

SWOMP

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Music Interviews
Updated Weekly

SWOMP’s podcast is your unfiltered backstage pass to the music world. Rooted in Canada and raging worldwide, we bring raw artist interviews, behind-the-scenes chaos, and deep dives into the bands shaping the scene. From legends to rising stars, it’s all about the energy, passion, and stories that make music unforgettable. Plug in and enjoy.

Oct 1

Leith Ross chats with SWOMP backstage at Sommo Festival

Canadian singer-songwriter Leith Ross caught up with SWOMP backstage at Sommo Festival in Cavendish on Sept. 11 to discuss their songwriting, the new music and what has shaped their work. Ross also talked about being in the midst of one year away froms screens. Ross has built a growing audience around deeply personal songs that explore love, relationships, queerness and mental health. Ross grew up in a small town near Ottawa, Ont., and began releasing music independently in 2020 with the Motherwell EP. Recorded live, the project helped introduce Ross' intimate, stripped-back approach to songwriting. Their profile grew with the viral singles “I’d Have To Think About It” and “We’ll Never Have Sex,” leading to a record deal with Republic Records in 2022 and the release of their debut album, To Learn, the following year. The album continued Ross' exploration of vulnerability, moving between folk-influenced arrangements, pop and rock textures, and more minimal performances built around voice and guitar. Ross followed To Learn with the deluxe To Learn, More in late 2023, featuring live versions of songs including “(You) On My Arm,” “Orlando” and “To Learn.” The music has earned recognition from outlets including NME, CLASH, Them., Ones To Watch and The FADER, while Ross has toured with Lord Huron, Bahamas and Helena Deland and performed at festivals across North America. In 2022, Ross received the inaugural John Prine Songwriter Fellowship at the Newport Folk Festival. They were also nominated for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2024 Juno Awards. Ross has amassed more than 450 million streams across their catalogue and returned in 2026 with the emotionally charged single “Grieving,” the first release from an upcoming album produced by Rostam, known for his work with Vampire Weekend and other artists. Follow them at https://leithross.com/.
Sep 29

Altered by Mom brings rebellious energy to Sommo Festival

Toronto rock trio Altered by Mom brought its irreverent, high-energy sound to Sommo Festival in Cavendish, P.E.I., blending catchy songwriting with a rebellious DIY spirit. The band - JUNO-winning songwriters Gina Kennedy on bass and vocals and Devon Lougheed on guitar and vocals, alongside drummer Max Trefler - has built a reputation for playful performances, sharp songwriting and an approach that challenges traditional gender roles while embracing individuality. Following its Sommo Festival set, Altered by Mom sat down with SWOMP to talk about the band's music, festival experience and what's ahead: The trio released its debut album, BETTER, to national attention, earning radio support from SiriusXM and praise from outlets including Exclaim!, which described the band as "unstoppable." Since then, Altered by Mom has taken its live show to festivals and stages across Canada and internationally, including appearances at Summerfest in the United States, Folk on the Rocks in the Northwest Territories, Sommo Festival in Prince Edward Island, and shows in Germany and Japan. The band continues to build on its DIY approach while preparing for its next chapter. Altered by Mom is set to release a new single in the coming months, followed by its second full-length album, MAKE LEMONADE, in 2027. The album is being co-produced by Mike Young of Mother Mother. Follow the band at https://www.alteredbymom.com/.
Sep 26

DeeDee Austin’s 'Buried Truth' anchors national Truth and Reconciliation education program

Mi’kmaw singer-songwriter DeeDee Austin is the featured artist for this year’s Ancestors Voices: Music and Learning for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with her song “Buried Truth” serving as the centrepiece of free curriculum resources for Kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms across Canada. SWOMP caught up with Austin for an interview at Sommo Festival 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island on September 11, 2026. Austin, now 20, wrote “Buried Truth” when she was 15 after learning that her late great-grandmother had survived the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia. The song will anchor the 2026 edition of Ancestors Voices, an initiative of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada that connects contemporary Indigenous music with learning about truth, reconciliation, identity and community. For the first time, Austin will also bring the program directly into at least one Canadian school this fall, giving students an opportunity to meet the artist and hear the story behind the song. “Buried Truth began with something deeply personal: discovering what my late great grandmother endured at the Shubenacadie residential school,” Austin said. “I wrote the song to honour her story, but also to acknowledge the experiences of every child, family and community harmed by the residential school system.” Since its launch in 2024, Ancestors Voices has recorded more than 150,000 student registrations across Canada. The annual program is designed to honour children who never returned home, survivors and all those whose lives have been affected by residential schools. Developed with Indigenous artists and educators, each edition features an Indigenous songwriter and song alongside artist guides, interviews, video content, listening activities and curriculum-linked learning prompts. “DeeDee represents exactly what Ancestors Voices was created to do: place an Indigenous artist’s voice and lived family history at the centre of learning,” said Stacey Sinclair, executive director of the Coalition for Music Education. “Buried Truth gives students an emotional point of entry into history that can otherwise feel distant or abstract.” A sister of the Abegweit First Nation in Prince Edward Island, Austin has emerged as a young performer on the Atlantic Canadian music scene. Her honours include receiving Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC Searchlight’s Outstanding Indigenous Artist recognition and Music Nova Scotia’s Indigenous Artist of the Year honours, along with multiple East Coast Music Award nominations. Austin blends contemporary pop with Indigenous musical traditions, drawing on themes of resilience, hope and purpose in her songwriting. Ancestors Voices launched in 2024 with Julian Taylor and his song “S.E.E.D.S.” The 2025 edition featured Adrian Sutherland and his all-Cree song “Kiyash.” Previous editions remain available to educators, creating a growing national collection of Indigenous music and learning resources. Ancestors Voices is supported by the Mariposa Folk Festival. Follow her at https://deedeeaustin.com/.
Sep 25

Melt bring New York energy to Sommo Festival, chat with SWOMP backstage

New York City indie band Melt brought their energetic, genre-blurring sound to Sommo Festival in Cavendish, P.E.I., on Sept. 11, 2026. Formed in 2017, Melt built an audience through relentless touring and the viral success of their single “Sour Candy,” developing a reputation for high-energy live performances that have earned them support slots with artists including My Morning Jacket and Grouplove. The band’s debut album, “If There’s a Heaven,” was released in 2024 and features 11 tracks that move between feel-good pop, classic love songs and soulful rock. Recorded live to tape with producer Sam Evian, the album captures the communal energy that has become central to Melt’s sound. Described by NPR as “one groovy superorganism,” Melt continues to blend danceable hooks with a freewheeling live approach. SWOMP caught up with Melt backstage at Sommo Festival to talk about their music and Cavendish experience. Follow the band at https://www.melttheband.com/.
Sep 23

Thunder Queens share new music, discuss ‘Deep Below’ in SWOMP interview

Teen rock trio Thunder Queens are releasing two new songs as they prepare to unveil their sophomore album, Deep Below, on September 24, 2026. The London-based band — Lola Good on vocals and drums, Violet Bruneel on vocals and electric guitar, and Clara Magnan on vocals and bass — shared “Walk With Me” and “Misplaced Heart” Tuesday. The songs bookend a three-song arc on Side A of Deep Below, which is set for release through Victory Pool Records. The two tracks follow the previously released title track, “Deep Below,” a five-and-a-half-minute ballad that sits between the new songs in the sequence. The band says the 11-song album explores change, growing up, friendship, loss and learning to let go. “We wrote every song together, using our old voice memos, saved-up riffs, and lyrics about real feelings we were trying to figure out,” the band said in a release. “It’s the heaviest and most emotional thing we’ve ever made, but it still has the parts of Thunder Queens that feel most like us: big vocal harmonies, loud guitars, heavy drumming, and songs written to be played live.” The trio recorded most of Deep Below at Dream House Studios with Dave Schiffman. The album also includes “Bluebells,” “Wait,” “Teenage Years” and “Birds On A Wire,” with the latter two remastered by Ryan Dahle and co-produced by the band and JUNO-nominated producer Thom D’Arcy. The three-song sequence begins with “Walk With Me,” which addresses what the band describes as society’s tendency to overlook personal and social problems and the difficulty of moving forward without resolving the past. It then moves into “Deep Below,” which follows a relationship stuck in the past before closing with “Misplaced Heart,” a song inspired by feminist rock bands including Bikini Kill, Veruca Salt, Die Spitz and Sleater-Kinney. The release of Deep Below comes during a busy stretch of live dates for Thunder Queens. The band is scheduled to perform in Barrie, Oshawa, London and Windsor. The group will also perform at London’s Punk Rock Flea Fest on Friday, with a Nov. 28 show at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall supporting 54-40. A feature documentary about the band is also set to make its Canadian premiere Oct. 17 at the Forest City Film Festival. Thunder Queens, executive produced by Tegan and Sara, follows the trio’s musical journey and the years leading up to Deep Below. SWOMP caught up with the trio for an interview. Follow the band at https://www.thunderqueens.com/. Photo credit: Natalie Nguyen
Sep 22

MARIS talks new EP 'MOSH★PIT' at Sommo Festival 2026

MARIS is a Los Angeles–based, Montana-born singer/songwriter, emerging as “pop music’s next Mega Star” [Los Angeles Times]. A playful DIY ethos animates her songs, social content, and live shows. Blending heartland rock with glam-pop bombast, MARIS crafts arena-sized, sugar-rush choruses built around elastic vocals and diaristic songwriting. Her new EP - 'MOSH★PIT' - arrived on September 18, 2026. SWOMP caught up with MARIS backstage before she closed down the Sandbar Stage at Sommo Festival 2026 on Friday, September 11, 2026 in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Her breakout collaboration with Caroline Kingsbury, “Give Me A Sign,” earned praise from PAPER as “anxious and electric,” landed on Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2025, and helped fuel her first sold-out headline show at DC9. FLOODcalls “Body Is On Fire” a “cathartic” kickoff to her “vibrant” new phase. MARIS has performed at Boston Calling alongside Ed Sheeran, Chappell Roan, and Reneé Rapp; placed #4 on Stereogum’s Top Pop Songs of 2025 with “SUPER F★CKING MEGAST★R”; and been included in Spotify’s Fresh Finds Class three times. Elton John featured “Mary + I” on his Rocket Hour radio show, comparing MARIS to both Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury. Best experienced live, MARIS ensures audiences feel free to be their happiest, truest selves. She told the Los Angeles Times, “At my show, you’re gonna jump. You’re gonna dance. You’re gonna be involved, whether or not you want to.” She has toured nationally with The Wrecks, Maude Latour, A R I Z O N A, Anna of the North, and Caroline Kingsbury. She has also been featured in Rolling Stone, LADYGUNN, Ones to Watch, Under the Radar, and Wonderland. Follow her at https://www.marisofficial.com/.
Sep 21

Edgehill electrify Sandbar Stage at Sommo Fest 2026, chat with SWOMP backstage

Fresh off their energized set on the Sandbar Stage at Sommo Festival 2026, American rockers Edgehill chatted backstage with SWOMP on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Learn more about the band, below: The trio is comprised of Chris Kelly [lead vocals, guitar], Jake Zimmermann [lead guitar, vocals], and Aidan Cunningham [drums]. The band members grew up in markedly distinct areas of the country. Chris originally hailed from Charlottesville, Va., and Jake primarily grew up in Long Island, N.Y. Early iterations of the band formed before the guys welcomed Aidan—who called Westfield, Ind. home—into the fold. Chris and Jake initially connected as students at Vanderbilt University, cementing a fast friendship. Jamming together, they unassumingly established a foundation for what would become Edgehill. While working a shift at a local coffee shop, Chris met Aidan, and the group’s lineup was locked in. Fresh off their sold-out house show tour with 7.5M global career streams and growing, Edgehill is turning heads and turning up the volume as the group gears up for more new music on the horizon. Their new release,“I Can Be Your Dog,” is a high-energy, guitar-driven anthem – a fan favorite at electric house shows. Follow the band, here.
Sep 20

JJ Wilde talks new music ahead of Rock The Runway set in London

JJ Wilde discussed new music she has in the works with SWOMP, ahead of her opening set at Rock The Runway in London, Ontario on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Following her sound check in Harris Park, the Kitchener, Ontario rocker sat down with SWOMP for interview. Follow JJ at https://jjwilde.com/.

SWOMP’s podcast is your unfiltered backstage pass to the music world. Rooted in Canada and raging worldwide, we bring raw artist interviews, behind-the-scenes chaos, and deep dives into the bands shaping the scene. From legends to rising stars, it’s all about the energy, passion, and stories that make music unforgettable. Plug in and enjoy.

Creator

SWOMP
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

100
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Show Website

SWOMP