Sword II – Electric Hour
In a busted old house in Atlanta, where the basement flooded when it rained, the air smelled like mildew, and the landlord once tried to evict them for using the space as an “electronic rock band facility,” Sword II recorded the most ambitious, accessible, and electrically charged music of their lives. Today, the trio detail Electric Hour – out November 14th via section1 – and share its lead single “Even if it’s Just a Dream”
Sword II is Mari González (she/her), Certain Zuko (she/her), and Travis Arnold (he/him), and Electric Hour marks their first fully cohesive statement after years of working in a more experimental, song-by-song mode, with each member bringing a distinct set of influences. From tastes of psychedelia and hardcore punk to a unique sense of drama and theatricality, together, they’ve forged a sound that’s raw, unadorned, defiant.
Electric Hour was born from a place riddled with paranoia and tension. Its genesis immediately followed the FBI raiding the home of close friends – leading to a constant state of police surveillance on their street – and its recording space posed the constant threat of electrocution thanks to faulty wiring and a leaky roof. This sense of urgency and survival bleeds into the tracks, but despite this heaviness, ‘Electric Hour’ is endlessly inviting and replayable.The album was mixed by Sebastian Kinsler of feeble little horse.
In the band’s own words: “The title was inspired by the idea that we are in the era of surveillance technology, but also we imagined ‘electric hour’ as something powerful, a time for creativity, potency and revolution – ‘the time is now’ type situation. We imagined the ‘hour’ as the time a band gets to be on stage – one hour to make your point to the audience, to make sense of the situation facing humanity. One hour to bring into the physical world the music that resonates with people facing repression, increasing alienation, and violence. Basically, one shot to make the revolution. It’s very daunting because you only get one life, one hour. But our limitation is what shows us what is important, what is worthy of our time in this life.”
“Even if it’s Just a Dream” is led by a plucky synth arpeggio, light acoustic guitar, and Mari’s breezy vocals that swoon over the thought of starting a family. What lies beneath is a dark, sci-fi love song that imagines a fantastical future where two people of the same sex conceive a child through a surreal, surgical miracle. It’s a fantastic daydream that progressively builds until exploding into a distorted guitar solo layered with a haunting chorus of whispers, grinding feedback, and the wistful repetition of the song’s title, wishing the futuristic procedure into existence.
Sword II will tour extensively behind Electric Hour, beginning with shows this fall supporting julie and feeble little horse.
Sword II tour dates:
10/14/2025 / US / Athens, GA / Georgia Theatre *
10/15/2025 / US / Birmingham, AL / Saturn *
10/16/2025 / US / Gainesville, FL / The Wooly *
11/03/2025 / US / Los Angeles, CA / Lodge Room ^
11/04/2025 / US / Los Angeles, CA / Lodge Room ^
11/05/2025 / US / San Luis Obispo, CA / Libertine ^
11/06/2025 / US / San Francisco, CA / Rickshaw Stop ^
11/08/2025 / US / Portland, OR / Hawthorne Theatre ^
11/09/2025 / US / Seattle, WA / Neumos ^
* supporting Julie
^ supporting feeble little horse
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