Here’s the thing you need to know about Drew Beskin: even his most straightforward songs never land where you expect. There’s always some subtle twist or deceptive turn that casts his writing in a new light. His music is immensely digestible, but the fact that it sounds so breezy and effortless is merely part of the ruse. For Beskin, the magic is in the quirks; it’s in the unique turn of phrase or the slight shift in tone.
Consider his latest single “Swimming in Bed.” It’s a gripping up-tempo ballad, the sort of shockingly immediate, where-have-I-heard-this-before charmer that Oasis used to crank out with freakish regularity. Everything from the jangling rhythms to the swelling melodies hits exactly as it should, and you can’t help but get swept up in the emotional rip tide. But then the bridge hits and scatters everything to the wind. The change in pace isn’t all that drastic, but it’s enough to flip the song on its head.
And that’s just it. That pivot forces you to reassess what came before it. Suddenly the track’s stirring refrain—“I’ll do what I do until you tell me what to do”—takes on multiple meanings. Is it a declaration of faith? An admission of surrender? Or is it something else entirely? It may not seem like much initially, but that bit of nuance is critical. It makes the song more engaging and open to interpretation. So while “Swimming in Bed” may glide by like it’s existed forever, don’t underestimate its depth. Such a level of refinement doesn’t come easy.
“[It’s] a song I have been trying to write for quite some time now,” Beskin confesses. “It started with the ‘do what i do’ line and that basically plagued me for a few months until I sat down and finished the song. I had the title ‘Swimming in Bed’ in my notes for a few years. I always loved that title but had to wait for the right moment and song to come along to use it. I am very proud of this one, particularly the middle/bridge section. I love cramming as many hooks as I can get away with in one tune.”
Listen below.
More Info
Web: drewbeskin.com
Bandcamp: drewbeskin.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @DrewBeskin
Instagram: @DrewBeskin
SoundCloud: @drewbeskin
Twitter: @DrewBeskin