Spring Offensive (@springoffensive), a five-piece band from Oxford, know how to do alternative folk right. They’re relatively new to the UK music scene, but you’d never know by listening to their music. The group’s newest single, “Not Drowning but Waving,” shows off their outstanding ability to balance intensity and beauty. Just as you settle into their stunning, confident harmonies, the gritty electric guitar drops in, forcefully carrying you into an intense rock territory not often explored by folk bands.
The music video for “Not Drowning but Waving” perfectly complements the building of tension throughout the song. I really haven’t seen a music video which affected my nerves this much since “By Some Miracle” by Radiohead’s Phil Selway. Keeping with the intensity/beauty dichotomy, the video features gorgeous coastal UK scenery, which sets an icy, eerie mood for a song with equally chilling themes.