Swallow the Rat Release Their First Single of 2026: ‘Commitment’
Today heralds the release of the first new music of 2026 by Swallow the Rat: the single Commitment, accompanied by a video made with the assistance of NZ On Air.
Swallow the Rat is an acclaimed post-punk band from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, consisting of a core duo of guitarist Brian Purington and drummer Hayden Fritchley, and now bolstered by the return of bassist Stephen Horsley.
“Commitment came into existence in 2025 during the brief period that we had Jimmy Coldham in the band. It serves as a marker for that time, and also a taster for our next record, which we are currently working on.
“The core parts were recorded live in one take, with vocal and synth overdubs happening. Of interest to some might be the mix from Sonny Diperri (Protomartyr, DIIV, Nothing).
(Fun fact: DIIV are playing Laneway 2027).
“The video was made by our friend Thom Burton (Guardian Singles). He’d been toying with some animation, which tickled our interest, and we gave him free artistic license to do whatever he wanted.
“We have to say, a break dancer in a STR video was not on our bingo cards!”.
From Thom Burton, director:
“Spaces for art and creativity feel increasingly under attack – the song felt like it’s a voice in the distance trying to survive something, so we wanted to push it a step further. With Te Oka’s dancing we were able to create a sort of explosion of expression – and movement through non-places”.
