Swarming Branch is the Columbus-based brainchild of skewed singer-songwriter Andrew Graham, who has spent the past decade exploring the intersection of post-punk, folk-rock, early 20th century pop, and whatever other sonic oddities have recently captured his ear. He’s an old soul whose reflections on the weird and worrisome state of modern life have always come couched in a unique and fascinating creative framework — an imagined alternate history of Americana informed by Graham’s eclectic record collection and the idiosyncratic playing of collaborators such as keyboardist Dane Terry and drummer Lon Leary.

Most recently that vision manifested on Surreal Number, an excellent but slept-on album that saw limited release last year. It’s getting wider distribution tomorrow via SofaBurn Records, and ahead of the re-release the band is unveiling the video for their contagiously bouncy art-pop splatter “Zsazsur’s Real Estate Song.” It stars Dana Hatch from Columbus garage-punk greats Cheater Slicks and is directed by Danielle Petrosa, who explains, “I visualized the song’s landscapes and characterizations into a glitchy ode to everything from Paris, Texas to Raggedy Anne & Andy: A Musical Adventure.” Watch below, where you can also stream Surreal Number in full via PopMatters.

Check out Swarming Branch on tour:

05/28 Cambridge, MA @ State Park
05/31 Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant St.
06/02 Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
06/06 Cincinnati, OH @ Urban Artifact Brewing
06/07 Louisville, KY @ TBA
06/08 St. Louis, MO @ Blank Space
06/28 Sacramento, CA @ TBA
06/30 Portland, OR @ House Show
07/02 Seattle, WA @ Victory Lounge
07/05 Omaha, NE @ O’Leavers
07/06 Chicago, IL @ Cafe Mustache
07/07 Akron, OH @ Musica
07/08 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe

Surreal Number is out 5/26 via SofaBurn Records. Pre-order it on vinyl or CD.

CREDIT: Ryan Miller