Swans

"When Will I Return"

BY Gregory AdamsPublished May 27, 2016

As previously reported, Swans will release their final album in their current incarnation next month. Before their The Glowing Man arrives in full, they've shared a haunting piece titled "When Will I Return," which is sung by band leader Michael Gira's wife, Jennifer Gira.

The song starts off solemnly with a minuscule strum of an acoustic guitar and an ominous bustle of symphony strings. Above this, Jennifer Gira sings "his hands are on my throat," later weighing in on the aftershocks of this event with the line "I still kill him in my sleep." She adds: "I scream until he's gone."

"I wrote the song 'When Will I Return?' specifically for Jennifer Gira to sing," Michael Gira had previously explained in a statement. "It's a tribute to her strength, courage, and resilience in the face of a deeply scarring experience she once endured, and that she continues to overcome daily."

The song, which eventually turns into a louder, full-band affair, can be streamed below. The Glowing Man sees releases June 17 through Young God Records/Mute.

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