“Swallow,” released on February 2nd, 2024, is Kevin Atwater’s 2nd single for his upcoming album. It is a track that discusses the longing for an ex, all because of the memories from a sweater. This track is an emotion-filled pop track that lasts 2 minutes and 59 seconds, written and composed by Kevin Atwater and produced by Hazey Eyes.
[Verse 1]
I don’t wanna sleep you off
I just want my fix again
The sadness of missing someone you are unable to have crushes the spirit completely. Many people use sleep as a coping mechanism, but Kevin says he just wants his significant other back and that this isn’t working any more.
I don’t care if I’m discovered
At the bottom of someone else’s ditch
To win his significant other back, Kevin would stop at nothing, even if it meant losing his life. All he wants, though, is to be loved, so he doesn’t care about that.
[Verse 2]
I don’t wanna be told off about
Why I said your name to him
Whispered with a shameful breath
Into a mouth that’s not yours
These lines imply that Kevin attempted to move on by looking for love and affection from someone else. This was ruined when the singer said the name of his ex-partner rather than the partner. The way it was revealed hints at the humiliation and helpless desperation Kevin experiences when he realizes he will never be able to move on.
But still, I guess
It was close enough to just pretend
Since Kevin’s new partner’s mouth was “close enough” to his former one, he is able to create the illusion that they were never apart. However, if Kevin keeps doing this, things could get messy. It could be fatal to fall in love with a false reality, especially since Kevin is already in a desperate situation.
[Chorus]
Just f— me back to sleep, babe
I don’t wanna be awake these days
Drowning in your sweater I stole
If it could swallow me whole
I’d let it
If it could swallow me whole
On his Instagram, Kevin released an acoustic snippet of this song with a caption explaining the meaning. He notes, “[This is a] song about spiralling out because my ex’s sweater still smelled like him and that made me insane.” That is exactly what these lyrics express, as Kevin wishes to literally let the sweater’s fabric and scent drown him.
[Verse 3]
I don’t wanna make new friends
Why do you get to keep the ones we had
Friends typically take sides based on who they like better when a couple breaks up, even though they frequently share friends and/or friend groups. It is incredibly unfair to Kevin that he was left alone in this scenario. His belief is that his former partner shouldn’t be allowed to keep allto make all of their former friendships, but he is new friends.
Getting off on a half-warm bed
That you used to render me someone in
Oh brown eyes, won’t you see me again?
Some of the most refreshing aspects of a relationship, in my opinion, are feeling and being seen; yet, when one is not in a relationship, one can miss out on a lot. The opening line describes how Kevin is now waking up in bed by himself, no longer with his significant other, shown by only one side of the bed being warm. But this bed is important because, as Kevin says, it’s where his partner first saw him as a person—aware that he’s not perfect but still a wonderful person. Kevin then concludes the verse by talking about how much he wants his partner to look at him again and even “talking” to their brown eyes to do so.
[Chorus]
Just f— me back to sleep, babe
I don’t wanna be awake these days
Drowning in your sweater I stole
If it could swallow me whole
I’d let it
Just f— me back to sleep, babe
I don’t wanna be awake these days
Drowning in your sweater I stole
If it could swallow me whole
I’d let it
If it could swallow me whole
I’d let it
If it could swallow me whole
I’d let it
The theme of missing his ex so much that he wants to literally drown in the fabric and scent of his sweater and let it swallow him whole is reinforced by this repetition in the outro.
Find “Swallow” by Kevin Atwater on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms!
