Wild Swim

Wild Swim

Wild Swim is an indie and electronic group from the United Kingdom, formed by five school friends in Oxford. The band starts when the members are thirteen and later develops a sound that combines alternative guitar music with electronic textures and shifting arrangements.

Early releases and style

The group’s debut single is Echo, released through Believe Recordings and produced by Steve Osborne. It introduces the band with layered textures and immersive soundscapes, led by Richard Sansom’s baritone vocal style. The single’s B-side, Bright Eyes, is a self-produced track with a more experimental electronic feel.

Wild Swim’s music draws early comparisons with The xx, The Associates, Foals and Japan. Other references in connection with their sound include James Blake and Arthur Russell, especially in relation to the electronic side of their material.

Members and related work

The group includes Richard Sansom, Jamie Jay and Carlos Posada. Jay and Posada also work together as Cubiq, an electronic side project, and have remixed tracks by Totally Extinct Enormous Dinosaurs. Sansom is described as the band’s singer, and the group’s live shows place emphasis on his voice and the band’s changing, electro-heavy arrangements.

Recognition and live activity

Wild Swim are associated with BBC Introducing in Oxford and are asked to play T in the Park. At the time of their debut, Sansom is training to be a tailor on Savile Row, while the other members are at university.