Swim Deep announce “intimate” UK shows with Bill Ryder-Jones on guitar, share new single ‘Hard To Come Back’

Swim Deep have shared their latest single ‘Hard To Come Back’ and a string of “intimate” UK shows with Bill Ryder-Jones on guitar.

• READ MORE: Swim Deep and Bill Ryder-Jones tell us about new single ‘Very Heaven’ and their “brave” new album

The soft and dreamy track is a bonus from the Birmingham band’s recent Ryder-Jones produced fourth album ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’. Featuring a crisp and slow drum beat along with a comforting guitar riff, ‘Hard To Come Back’ sees frontman Austin Williams sing: “Did you hear the storm crashing at your window / your friends are at the door / trying to take the edge off the world”.

Speaking about the song in a press release, Williams shared: “‘Hard To Come Back’ came about during a turning point, full of grey clouds and a peeping light. I accompanied a close friend to their first AA meeting. I always said when they were ready, that I’d go with, much like when we’d get ready before going out as teenagers, because we were too timid to go alone.

“I never felt closer and more proud of them in that moment. In my early 20s, I almost lost a best friend to addiction, and I’m not proud of the way I responded, by burying my head in the warm sand. It’s difficult to know what to do, but helping to address the situation and offering love and unconditional support is a start. This song is a usual naive prance around the truth of that experience.”

Along with the song, Swim Deep have also shared the dates for two special ‘An Evening With Swim Deep’ shows with one taking place at Manchester’s Night & Day on March 6 2025 and the other being at London’s St Pancras Old Church the following day on March 7 2025. Both shows will feature Ryder-Jones on guitar. Tickets for the shows can be purchased here.

Speaking about the two live shows with their “friend and musical soulmate,” Williams said: “The Cribs got Johnny Marr, Oasis got Andy Bell, and we’ve got Bill Ryder-Jones. Making ‘Big Star’, was a highlight of Swim Deep’s career, and throughout the process Bill became part of the band, so to mark it with a one off show will be the summit of this chapter.

“I found a big brother in Bill at the perfect time, I was going through a lot, we both were, and after leading this band for 12 years, I was yearning for a mentor, a big brother, to tell me everything was ok, and bring my deflated ego back to its space invader shaped self. It’s the honour to say, Swim Deep play a church with Bill Ryder-Jones on guitar.”

Previously speaking to NME about the creation of ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’, Ryder-Jones explained: “It would be very easy for Swim Deep to make a synth-pop, Killers-style record that would appease their fans. I think it’s incredibly brave what they’ve done. There’s so many easy routes in music – we know how we can get on Radio 6. I’ve got the utmost respect for Austin for writing those songs and letting them be what they are.”

He added: “He’s a very underrated songwriter of his generation – I thought that before we worked together, but since then, it became very apparent.”