setteesounds

Good afternoon, good morning, good evening, good night.

Wifeswap, fronted by Offaly native Joe Brody, released their first single, Inertia on May 13th, 2023. Amassing nearly 500 followers on Instagram and upwards of five thousand listens on Spotify, it is safe to say Wifeswap are solidifying their place within the Dublin music scene. They debuted in October 2022 at a sold-out Workman’s Cellar Gig and since then, have played in some of Dublin’s most notable venues, such as The Grand Social and Whelans Main Stage for their Summer ‘Ones to Watch’ Festival. Wifeswap is a fourpiece band, comprised of Joe Brody, Jasper Ryan, Cian Bates and Lorcan Connolly.

Wifeswap is the second installment of our debut evolution, as we called out for new and fresh sounds, good looking musicians and generally sound people. Their single, Inertia, is sharp with newness and we discuss this in the interview below, alongside Samuel Beckett, the brilliant tension within Dubin at the minute, and the influence of the Simpsons on their next single.

💙setteesounds are always listening💙

Frontman Joe Brody says our call into the ether for good looking musicians, who are sound with new and fresh sounds was not what dragged him in, but the anonymity of SetteeSounds is what appealed to him. ‘I think having a space where gig reviews can be honest and artists can be challenged…is needed in the current Dublin scene.’ 

Furthermore, he realistically states that, ‘not everything deserves a glowing review.’ As Brody continues, I am taken aback but admire his sheer honesty and maturity, ‘[we’ve] played gigs that I’ve been disgusted with and I think that should be reflected in a review, not glossed over with detatched mildly kind words. It’s not how anyone involved in the [music] scene talks about it to their friends, so why should it be written about in such a manner?’

When initially screening Wifeswap for our debut evolution, Brody mentions influences such as The Velvet Underground, Michelle Zauner and, unusually, poet and writer Samuel Beckett. This caught our attention, so of course we were nosy and asked about it. Brody mentions that when he first arrived in Dublin, he would ‘sit in and drink wine or cans and read Beckett plays… [Beckett’s] exploration of the absurd within the mundane and his use of repetition are things that greatly influence my writing.’ As the interview progresses and Brody provides in depth answers to the questions given, his coruscating admiration for literature shines through, especially as he mentions there are ‘conscious and subconscious references and allusions to pieces of literature throughout my lyrics.’

Throughout the interview, Brody often mentions coming ‘up to Dublin,’ or being up in Dublin, often a phrase we use here at SetteeSounds. It is fresh, and interesting, an inability to forget where he comes from. He mentions his home county, saying ‘there wasn’t anyone who wanted to be in a band in Offaly.’ When mentioning the origins of Wifeswap, there is a certain sense of impermanence as there is everywhere in your early twenties, ‘I asked my friends [to join the band] and from there, a couple of people have come and gone…now, there is a great balance in the group.’ He mentions he enjoys this, ‘the idea that as long as I am there, it’s Wifeswap, and because of that, the project can be whatever on any given day.’

We introduce the topic of Dublin, as this is SetteeSounds. He responds, ‘When it comes to music in Dublin, it’s just about being there. In my first year [in Dublin], I was averaging three to four gigs a week. I spent all of my savings doing that but I met so many people and found some really great music along the way.’ Commenting on the current state of the capital, he raises the topic of international success of other Irish acts but also Brexit, stating that there is ‘just more opportunity available.’ 

Furthermore, he mentions the unstable nature of the country at the moment, ‘the extreme cost [of living] and the housing situation has really spurred the scene on, it’s our one escape together; to indulge and to play gigs and release music for each other and for friends as a way to cope with all the shit we’ve been bombarded with.’

Brody mentions the way the tension has made its way into their music, ‘the anger, the bitterness, the frustration. It fuels the Wifeswap sound, and together we…drive each other to play it louder, harder and better each time we [perform.] It is safe to say that these feelings turn tactile when you listen to Wifeswap, especially with their new single, Inertia. 

When asked about why they chose Inertia to be the first single, there is a secure and definite answer waiting for me, ‘We were offered to record it and have it mastered professionally for free though it would have been the first single anyways…During the first few gigs, people would come up to me after and say they really liked it. I think the fact that it has no chorus too was another reason… It embodied what I believed Wifeswap should be.’ Stephen O’Brien of Hal produced it, adding ‘parts that tied everything together and made it what it is.’

To conclude, we asked Joe Brody of Wifeswap for a fun fact, only to learn he has watched the first ten seasons of the Simpsons ‘a criminal amount.’ Furthermore, he claims the cartoon has inspired ideas for the band, including their next single artwork. 

(Our fun fact is that one of us drank a puddle as a dare. As a tax-paying adult. No questions at this time please.)

You can find Wifeswap tagged on our Instagram post.

Gigs here: Anseo on September 28th

💙setteesounds are always listening💙