José González – “Swing”

Peter Toggeth & Mikel Cee Karlsson

José González – “Swing”

Peter Toggeth & Mikel Cee Karlsson

Swedish singer-songwriter José González is releasing Local Valley, his first new album in over six years, in September. We’ve already heard “El Invento,” his first-ever song in Spanish, along with other early singles “Visions” and “Head On.” And today, he’s sharing “Swing,” an ebullient highlife-inspired song exhorting listeners to “Swing your belly, baby/ Move your body, buddy/ Swing what nature gave you/ Swing and move like you don’t care.”

“‘Swing’ is a song with (almost) only good vibes!” González explains in a statement. “It was musically inspired by high-life from West Africa and Caribbean music — layered light guitars and a melodic bass line on top of a beat from a drum machine app. It’s a song about dancing and following your natural impulses. It’s ok to move your butt whoever you are, wherever you are!”

“Swing” comes with a music video directed by González’s frequent collaborator Mikel Cee Karlsson. “I was thinking of ideas for ‘Swing’ when I stumbled upon a scientific paper that focused on the behavioral patterns of birds and their movements in the sky,” Karlsson says. “I found the natural choreography of the birds really beautiful. Like a form of dance, shaped for survival.”

“That gave me the idea to for an alternative kind of dance video, using everyday scenes and set in a common place, like an average Swedish beach,” Karlsson continues. “I wanted to see what natural choreography I could find there. In the basic interaction between people, animals and objects. Trying to highlight specific movements and patterns in order to find some banal, but beautiful and iconic little snapshots from everyday life, and make them dance.”

Watch and listen to “Swing” below.

Local Valley is out 9/17 via Mute. Pre-order it here.

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