Lucy Fitzgerald 
If you’re craving an EP that dips your ears into a swirling mix of hazy textures, dreamy tones, and psychedelic haze, “Melt the Sun” by SWIRL is your new best friend. Clocking in at 28 minutes across six tracks, this debut from the Turin-based band isn’t just a playlist filler—it’s a fully-formed artistic vision.
Right from the opening track “Kaleidoscope Eyes”, SWIRL invites you into a shimmering dream pop realm, where lush textures and gentle grooves set the mood. As the EP unfolds, it takes a deeper dive into psychedelic waters, with tracks like “If She’s Not There” moving from floaty to slightly warped, all while staying tethered to the band’s shoegaze core. You’ll feel the influence of 2010s neopsychedelia and 90s shoegaze without it ever feeling derivative.
By the time “Orbiting” hits, there’s a noticeable shift into heavier, stoner-infused tones that buzz and drone in the best way. Yet, even as the textures grow thicker, SWIRL manages to hold onto a dreamy, meditative quality—like drifting in space with a fuzzy amplifier as your only companion. “Ease My Breath” takes things back to their shoegaze roots with layers of reverb and washed-out guitars that feel both massive and intimate.
Then there’s “Confide”, the closer that softens the edges and ends the EP on a graceful, melancholic note. It’s part ballad, part suite, nodding to The Beach Boys with a tender, hazy vibe that feels like the perfect comedown after the trip. It’s emotionally raw yet sonically soothing.
What really caught my ear about “Melt the Sun” is how carefully balanced the whole thing feels. It’s clear SWIRL knows their influences—Tame Impala, Ride, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Slowdive—but they also learn how to weave them into something that feels cohesive and confident. The EP explores some heavy lyrical terrain like loneliness, depression, and the coping that follows, but it does so with a sound that wraps around you like a warm (and slightly distorted) blanket.
Personally, I found the EP to be both immersive and refreshing—it doesn’t overdo anything, but every track feels deliberate and textured. It’s the kind of record you’ll want to spin front to back, and maybe even get lost in. Make sure to give SWIRL a follow on Instagram (@only.swirl) and toss “Melt the Sun” into your rotation—especially if you’re into genre-bending sounds with heart and haze. Whether you’re zoning out, tuning in, or floating somewhere in between, this EP is a solid companion for the ride.
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night
