SWELTR Turn Up The Noise With Hard-Hitting New Single ‘Hideaway’
North Dublin grunge duo SWELTR have never needed much to make a serious amount of noise. Just a guitar, a drum kit and two lads who know exactly what they're doing with them. Their latest single, Hideaway
, takes that familiar setup and pushes it harder than ever, delivering one of their heaviest tracks to date.
Two Lads, One Big Sound
Formed in 2022, SWELTR are Tony Keyes on guitar and lead vocals and Noel Dempsey on drums and backing vocals. With no bassist in sight, the pair have built their sound around thick, bass-heavy guitar riffs, thumping drums and lyrics that don't always come with straightforward answers. It's a simple formula, but one that works.
Since getting together, the duo have steadily made their mark on the Irish music scene with a string of singles and plenty of live shows. From rehearsing in a back garden shed to playing music shops, pubs and some of Dublin's best-known venues, SWELTR have come a long way without changing much about what makes them tick.
And that's probably the best thing about them. There's no need for extra musicians or unnecessary bells and whistles when the two of them can fill a room on their own. Their music has always had that rough-around-the-edges grunge feel, and with ‘Hideaway’, they've taken things up another notch.
Hideaway
Hits Hard From The Start
Hideaway
doesn't waste much time getting down to business. A buzz of feedback kicks things off before a heavy, fuzz-drenched guitar riff comes crashing in. It's loud, aggressive and exactly the sort of opening you'd expect from a band who have built their reputation on making as much noise as two people possibly can.
Dempsey's drums are right in the thick of it, with the kick and snare locked tightly into Keyes' guitar groove. There's a real punch to the whole thing, and that bass-heavy guitar tone does a remarkable job of filling the space where another band might have a bassist. You'd barely notice anyone was missing.
What makes Hideaway
work so well is how the guitar and drums play off each other. Neither is fighting to take centre stage, and the track has that raw, live feel that suits SWELTR down to the ground. It's the sort of song that sounds made for a sweaty venue with the amps turned up.
From The Academy Stage To The Studio
While Hideaway
might be the duo's newest single, it's already had a fairly big outing. Back in July 2025, SWELTR supported Nirvana Tribute at Dublin's Academy as part of an MCD Productions-promoted show. It was one of their strongest live performances to date and another big step forward for the North Dublin pair.
Even better, Hideaway
was the song they chose to open the set. There's something fairly fitting about that. A band that started out making noise in a garden shed, now kicking off a show at one of Dublin's best-known venues with a track that would eventually become their next single.
The studio version was recorded at Oblivion Studios in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, with award-winning sound engineer Yanko Genov, who also handled the mixing and mastering. The result keeps that rough, hard-hitting SWELTR sound intact while giving the guitar and drums plenty of room to do their thing.
Final Verdict
Hideaway
is SWELTR doing what they do best, only louder and heavier. The fuzzed-up riffs, driving drums and raw energy make it one of the North Dublin duo's strongest releases so far. If this is the direction they're heading, there's plenty to look forward to. Sometimes all you need is a guitar, a drum kit and a serious amount of volume.
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