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To The Wind 4:030:00/4:03
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With Open Eyes 3:390:00/3:39
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Burning In My Mind 4:080:00/4:08
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Nail 4:050:00/4:05
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Barricade 3:570:00/3:57
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0:00/3:41
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Calluses 3:520:00/3:52
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From Heaven 4:580:00/4:58
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Undercurrent 4:270:00/4:27
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Transatlantic 4:390:00/4:39
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Gazelles 4:380:00/4:38
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Autumn Evening Light 1:540:00/1:54
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A Million Days 3:590:00/3:59
Swimming To The Stars
Swimming To The Stars was the project that launched Kozen. While the overall project, consisting of sides (A) and (B), is easily the length of a full album, we often refer to it as a double-EP. While it was initially conceived as one singular record, it eventually became evident that there were two very different styles represented across the tracklist. Some of the material was decidedly more driven by acoustic guitars and had a more pop/singer-songwriter sound. This material was sectioned off into Side (B), leaving the more electric guitar-driven, rock and metal material for Side (A).
STTS was entirely self-produced by Maxwell Kozen, with an enormous amount of assistance from drummer Kyron Newbury. This was the largest and most ambitious recording project Maxwell had ever undertaken, and in many ways the recording process was simultaneous with a very steep learning process. This was the first time Maxwell had recorded a live drum kit (rather than using pre-made drum samples), and he relied heavily on Newbury's extensive drum recording experience to get the right setup and takes.
This project took a couple years to complete, and was actually momentarily released under the "Maxwell Kozen" solo brand as one album. Max pulled the material from bandcamp shortly after the initial release - after the dual realization that the project should be split into two distinct styles, and that what was initially a solo project was actually about to become a band. In the end, Swimming To The Stars served as an excellent launching point for KOZEN - being almost impossible to categorize stylistically. Even within the style-segregated "sides" of the album, too many influences were simultaneously at play to pin either EP to one subgenre. "Shadow Ocean Stagnant" featured funky slap bass, chords and riffs borrowed from Latin Jazz, and screeching noise-core guitar stabs reminiscent of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The EDM-Metalcore fun of a song like "Break The Floor" contrasted strongly with the 9-minute traditional Prog Rock of "Altikale Reign Ethereal" and the piano-driven Nu-Metal of "Calluses." On side (B), the "acoustic" theme tied together sounds as disparate as the Afrobeat-inspired singer-songwriter rock of "Gazelles," the John Mayer-esque love ballad "A Million Days," or the forlorn, keyboard-centric ambient R&B of "Transatlantic."
All of this experimentation laid the foundation for KOZEN's future recordings, as well as their live sound. Material from STTS saw the band performing alongside artists spanning the progressive rock, pop-punk, emo, death metal, and alternative rock styles. And somehow, it always worked out.
Far from being a flawless album, STTS has its quirks and oddities. However, it still boasts some of the most essential songs of KOZEN's discography. An excellent starting point for any new listener.