The Swarm

Album: Single Release Only (2012)
Charted: 23
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Songfacts®:

  • This roller coaster-inspired single was penned by You Me at Six after representatives from their local Surrey theme park approached the band regarding penning a song about a new ride. Speaking to NME about how the track came to be written, guitarist Max Helyer explained: "The people from Thorpe Park approached us and asked us if we'd like to do it. We were all over the moon about it because we've all been to Thorpe Park loads of times with our families and friends and we've got loads of good memories of being there. We had a meeting and got a brief about the ride and went off and wrote the track."

    The single was released on March 18, 2012 as a digital download in the United Kingdom.
  • Helyer told NME how the song fit with the new roller coaster: "It's basically about the end of the world and the ride is full of near misses and loads of near hits," he explained. "It's Europe's tallest winged roller coaster in the world and Thorpe Park told us it was going to be very scary, so we decided we'd rock it up a little bit more, make it a bit more heavier and a bit hairier. It's a bit like 'Bite My Tongue,' but without screaming. It's a massive epic rock song, it's definitely got aggression, and it's definitely got edge."

    You Me At Six is in good company writing a song about an amusement park ride: The Beatles did it with "Helter Skelter."
  • The band laid down the track with Foo Fighters/Pixies producer Gil Norton. Helyer told NME about the song's recording: "We had a really good time writing it and although it's obviously done for the ride, it still feels like a You Me At Six song. We recorded it in Bath, we had a bit of time before we left for tour so we did it then. We just did the one track, but we jammed out a few potential new ideas for songs. We're not going to be writing for ages, but we thought we'd take the time to enjoy the benefits of working with Gil."

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