Swan Princess Project want you to Say Something Sweet in their latest single and video — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
The third preview of their upcoming full-length Ten Years, Say Something Sweet finds the Massachusetts duo of singer-guitarist Stevie Fitzpatrick and drummer Sam Checkoway spinning a tender tale of romantic yearning, White Claw buzzing and fruit preparation — all set to the fuzzy strains of shoegazing dream-pop with a hefty dose of ’90s nostalgia.
“Say Something Sweet is probably one of the most upbeat and happier sounding tracks on our new record,” Fitzpatrick says. “Sam wrote all the instruments on this one, starting out with just simple guitar and synth, and when everything all came together it was a fun and natural song to write lyrics to. At the surface it would seem to be a pleasant jam about drinking, dancing, and listening to music, which it certainly is; but the song’s core is also about the importance of having a solid, supportive person in your life … someone who reminds us that relationships with the people we love are what matters at the end of the day.”
They should know: Fitzpatrick and Checkoway (both formerly of Sleeping Patterns) have been playing music together for more than over a decade in various bands, and have been friends much longer.
“We met when we got assigned to sit next to each other in fourth grade,” Fitzpatrick recalls. “Actually, Sam told his mom that first day that he sat next to some crazy annoying kid named Stephen. Flash forward a few months and we were hanging out every day listening to Good Charlotte, Sum 41 and Blink-182. That year I received my first electric guitar for my birthday and Sam got his first drum set for his birthday.
“A fun fact about Sam and I is that we were born one day apart. I think we work together so well because of the years we have spent together writing songs and being such close friends, which is sort of the bigger meaning behind this whole album. It has been well over 10 years writing music together of all types of genres. You know when you are showing a friend a new song/artist you found and wonder if that person will like it too? Although our music tastes differ slightly Sam and I usually don’t have that concern when showing each other new music discoveries, we have the same ears 99% of the time.”
The intriguingly named Swan Princess Project is the culmination of their efforts as musicians experimenting with new sounds and instruments. “I think this song is the first time I’ve mentioned music genres in any lyrics I have written: ‘We’ll dance to indie rock & then we’ll dance to some punk pop.’ Looking back I guess you could say I subconsciously wrote that lyric as an homage to the mixture of genres that the song is comprised from. The best way I can put it is we are an experimental indie-rock band, which is what I used to tell people when asked about the genre of our previous band Sleeping Patterns: We have always tended to write songs that bend and blend the sounds of multiple genres that influence us. I have always been a fan of having both dark and up-beat tracks intertwined to make a versatile record so I am thrilled we brought that into play here.”
Something else they’re glad to add: “In the beginning of 2020, I came across an artist named Seamus Scanlon. I reached out to Seamus and asked if he would be interested in singing on one of the songs and I was beyond grateful he was able to feature on Say Something Sweet with some smooth harmonies and backing vocals on the bridge and ending of the track.”
And as for that band name? “We had been bouncing names around and originally came up with the name Apple Eyes, which we came to find out was already the name of another artist. Nonetheless, we knew we could do better and I wanted to call it something that people wouldn’t forget. When I was a kid my sisters and I obsessively watched the 1994 animated musical fantasy The Swan Princess. One day I was thinking about this movie when I was writing some lyrics one of our songs and it just clicked; Swan Princess Project was born. It’s one of those things that doesn’t feel right util you say the name a few times out loud. I do believe it sounds more feminine with the word princess in the name. It was not intentional to do so but we are happy it feels this way, we aren’t macho men to say the least.”
Watch Say Something Sweet above, hear more from Swan Princess Project below and follow Swan Princess Project on Facebook and Instagram.
