NEVEN “Swamp Spawn” Album Review & Interview

– Liverpool Blues Artist Strips Back to Raw Acoustic Roots

In life you just never know what to expect! We had reviewed an earlier single from NEVEN that was a kind of dirty urban blues on electric, and I expected some more of that here. How wrong was I- but I got into it quickly enough and decided to say hello to NEVEN as well, to add to your reading delight a bit! Thus, this becomes a feature piece that connects both interview and review, and I am doing the review first this time.

For those who don’t already know: NEVEN is a blues-rock artist from Liverpool with Serbian roots, blending gritty vocals and dirty guitar into a sound that’s raw, soulful, and unmistakably his own. Influenced by classic blues and 90s alt-rock, his music channels emotion, resilience, and fire – with lyrics often drawn from personal experience. For fans of music that hits hard and stays with you.

My Review – for those who feel like some of those swamp blues!

The album is currently out on vinyl, and I will link it below at the end of this feature. It is out on physical copy only until April 17 when it will appear on all digital platforms.

12 Bar Blues – Opens with a stripped back 12 bar blues track- a wonderful acoustic blues montage – intimate and in the style of Lead Belly, that master of the 12-string guitar, this has all those elements…it introduces us to this close sound where the musician is there with us strumming the guitar. I have a memory of this late night bar in Madrid where the guitarist sat there with us around him on cushions as the night sounds were in the background. This is one of those moments.

“Feelin Good” – Neven has been blue for a while he tells us, but as the blues run away we are feelin’ good. This stylishly is very stripped back south, I liked (I think) the little drum taps made on the back of the guitar that added to things a bit. If we could have a cricket making his noise in the background I would have been mentally there on the dusty outback porch!

“Lily of the Incas” – “Mind Control Can’t Hold Me in Trouble” sings Neven. This was my favourite on the album, a little bit of voodoo and Mojo, a full moon and a devil- now that can be my kind of music at midnight. I went back and gave this another play later, always a positive sign.

Amphibian – born at the bottom of the sea! (aka Octopuss’ Garden lol – I have just been sent a new Ringo Starr album to review, so I thought of that perhaps) – We have a sense of humour in the song and the strings jump nicely in an upbeat. It slots neatly into the vibe for this piece.

“Howlin Winds” is about meeting your worries head on. It is a laid back number and it is placed well in the album. You have to be in the album to connect I think, but it is well worth a listen as I liked the sense of story. I came back to it in the interview.

“Reign” closes this acoustic album, moving its way down that winding road. Vocally it is nicely emotive, evocative of love and desire and perfect for that late night moment. We just need a warm Spanish night away from the Winter cold.

Stream music from NEVEN here

Enough of my late-night porch ramblings — let’s hear from the man who lit the lantern in the first place. I caught up with NEVEN to talk roots, vinyl, anxiety, and why 12-bar blues refuses to die.

The album opens with “12 Bar Blues” and takes us into that feel of stripped back acoustic, very different to “Better Believe it Baby” – we commented how we commented that the drum sound was a great heartbeat, and then this grungy blues sound was layered on the top. None of that here – the concept of the album seems more rootsy and stripped back. You set out with a mission for this album I think?

Neven: Exactly – it’s completely different to anything I’ve released so far. I’ve wanted to make something like “Swamp Spawn” for a long time. In this era of digital overload and hyper-perfection, I craved something raw, dusty, imperfect and human. I recorded the entire project on a whim, committing to one take per track. No polishing, no overthinking. Just capturing a moment. I wanted it to feel like you’d walked into a dimly lit room somewhere deep in the South and the tape machine just happened to be rolling.

One of our friends at the magazine is the wonderful Shirley King, daughter to BB. She told us “Each generation deals with music differently, as my kids choose to sing the blues. They will do it differently, as the audience for them is not the same, with the same needs as BB King had. This generation will sing the blues to an audience that may not even know BB King.” It’s true, I think, but music evolving is natural and a good thing – where do you see your music now, is it moving back toward the older blues sound or evolving forward to new territory?

Neven: I think if you truly fall in love with the blues, it becomes an obsession – and once you’re obsessed, you dig into the past. You can’t help it. “Swamp Spawn” definitely leans toward the early days: the primal, pre-electric energy of it all. But my electric material, like “Better Believe It Baby,” pushes forward. I don’t see it as backward or forward, I see it as carrying the fire in one hand and a blowtorch in the other.

The playing of “12 Bar Blues” goes back to the greats such as Lead Belly (who we did a piece on ages ago) a master of the 12-string guitar, using it to create a distinctive “piano-like” sound and often employing a walking boogie-woogie bass line over 12-bar – also BB used this style and it has seen its way into bands like ZZ Top as well. – do you find yourself listening to music and suddenly think – they are playing blues 12 bar here where you did not expect to find it?

Neven: Oh 12 bar blues is everywhere! It’s a familiar form, and it really gets the crowd going every time. It’s been done so many times in so many different ways by so many different artists, but I can’t get enough of it.

Every song has a story, tell us about “Howlin Winds” as that jumped out a bit for me when I listened.

Neven: It’s basically a song about dealing with and overcoming anxiety. Sometimes the only way is to face it head on and bite the beast back.

The album is out now on physical sales pre streaming. Vinyl used to be notoriously difficult to get sorted on time, is it getting better now to organise? I love vinyl btw, so good to see it making a revival.

Neven: This is actually the first time I have my music on a physical medium. And I am very excited about the fact. There are services available now to get your music on vinyl at no upfront cost which is unbelievable. It felt wrong for a record like “Swamp Spawn” not to exist physically. It needed weight.

What plans can you share with us for 2026, beyond the album release of course…

Neven: I have got a festival booking in the summer that I am really looking forward to (but I can’t disclose the details just yet, sorry). Other than that I’m finally determined to finish my debut electric LP – it’s been building for a while now, and 2026 feels like the year it has to happen.

A few artists have noted with us how Tik-Tok, Instagram etc has altered how many listen to music, with these 30 second segments dipping in and out as they scroll. Do you think we are changing how we consume music?

Neven: Music is definitely consumed on-the-go more than ever. But like you said, vinyl is making a revival, so hopefully it’s a positive sign. I’d love to see more people slowing down, taking their time, and truly enjoying life with music as an integral part of it.

Fun Question -It is a hard winter’s night. The tour van/bus has broken down and a harsh wind blows through the night. Nearby you see a small house, it seems abandoned, yet there is a fire burning, food on the table and working electricity. While you wait for morning – what book and what film will get you through the night?

Neven: Yes – I’d then finally find the time to finish The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Midway through the second book right now and loving it. I’d then pop the 1986 Crossroads on probably, that guitar duel scene never gets old. Sounds like a proper good night to be honest.

“Swamp Spawn” isn’t just a stylistic detour — it’s a statement of intent. Whether acoustic or electric, NEVEN sounds like an artist who knows exactly where the fire is — and how to keep it burning.
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Artist Instagram@neven17music