Will Swinton Takes Us Back to Wintertime in EP ‘December’
The month of December is often associated with joy, giving, and good tidings. It is a time to reflect on the events of the past year and set goals and resolutions for the future. In December, the holiday spirit is contagious, spreading among family and friends who take extra care to show love and appreciation for one another.
For Kiwi singer-songwriter Will Swinton, December is a bit more complicated. As his music career evolves, Swinton often travels between the United States and New Zealand, recognizing December as a time for reflection. In his new EP, December, Swinton shares why the twelfth month of the year can bring so much angst.
“I usually come back to Auckland in December, and it’s always a weird, reflective time—seeing people again, dealing with where things stand emotionally,” Swinton tells 1202 MAGAZINE. “Over the past few years, I’ve been bouncing back and forth between New Zealand and LA, and a lot of the songs came from navigating long-distance relationships during that time. The EP pulls from that. It’s very guitar-driven, with a mix of folk, Americana, and rock.”
Released in December 2024, Swinton’s seven-track EP tells a story of loss, persistence, desperation, and eventually, acceptance. Fueled by raw emotion, December utilizes rock music and other genres rooted in American history to transport listeners on his journey through heartbreak and grief.
“I’m not super emotional in everyday life, but something switches on when I’m in the studio,” Swinton says. “I focus a lot on the feeling of the track before anything else. Once I get that mood right, everything else falls into place. This EP leaned more into the rock elements, and the new stuff is heading even further in that direction.”
Inspired by artists like Kings of Leon, James Blunt, and Post Malone, Swinton’s sound is intimate and honest, even when it's raw and painful.
In “Flames,” a song that recently made Swinton the subject of the Kelly Clarkson curse (the American Idol winner performed the song on her talk show last month), the artist sings: “Drinking from a bitter cup / burying the bottles with the bones / tell myself I gave you up / wrote the date and your name on the stone.”
Describing his songwriting process, Swinton says, “A few tracks like ‘Flames’ and ‘Where I Belong’ were written entirely on acoustic guitar, which was new for me. It brought something really honest out.”
“This EP came together super naturally. Sometimes songs take forever, but with these, everything just flowed,” he says. “Every session felt like it led to a song I was proud of. We actually finished writing it in about three months, and the wild part is we wrapped the whole thing—mixing, mastering, and content—literally the three days before I left on a 25-date U.S. tour. It was kind of hectic, but I love how it turned out.”
Beginning his music career just five years ago during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Swinton has proven to be an artist with promise. He has received recognition from Rolling Stone and toured with BabyJake and Dermot Kennedy. This summer, Swinton is set to tour Australia and New Zealand with Myles Smith and Good Neighbours.
“I’m excited to keep playing live. Touring this past year had a big impact on me—it made me want to make songs that feel big and hit hard on stage,” he says. “Long term, I want to be able to show up anywhere in the world and have people come out to see the show. The live show is a big focus for me right now, and I can’t wait to keep building that connection with fans.”
