Swans, 9 April 2025

Swans (/swɒnz/) are an American experimental rock band formed in 1982 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans have become recognized for a unique, ever-changing sound which has contributed to the development of such genres as noise rock, post-punk, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was extremely harsh, unprecedented in its sonic brutality and misanthrophic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe, who first appeared on the 1986 single "Time Is Money (Bastard)" and debuted as a songwriter on the 1987 album Children of God, Swans began to incorporate more melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band's only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997.
Since 1990, all Swans records have been released through Gira's own label, Young God Records. In 2010, Gira re-formed the band without Jarboe, establishing a stable lineup of musicians which has toured worldwide and released several albums to critical acclaim. This iteration of the group will perform its last shows in November 2017, ending the tour in support of its final album The Glowing Man. Afterwards, Gira plans to reinvent Swans "with a revolving cast of contributors".