Courtney Swain, the ever-active lead singer of the Boston-based group Bent Knee, released a solo record back in May and it takes a bite out of the New England music scene. Between Blood and Ocean is existential therapy via ethereal songs like “Snowflakes” and hard-charging alternative tracks like “I’d Kill.” Bleeding out the avant-indie influences that have helped shape Bent Knee, Swain deploys gritty guitar riffs, syncopated drum patterns, crushing electronic percussion, and tender piano melodies for a sound unlike anything else in music today. The songs were written during Swain’s stay in Martha’s Vineyard for a residency awarded by the Turkey Land Cove Foundation. The singer/songwriter thanks Asher Kurtz, Jed Lingat, Kyle Harris, and Tim Doherty for helping bring the album to life. Swain, the Providence local, has further stoked the fires of curiosity, intrigued, and innovated with this new entry. We are streaming the worldly-sounding “Sweet Snow” below. – Rene Cobar
