Black Ends Interview

Black Ends are not your typical rock band. Born out of Seattle’s ever-evolving DIY scene, they describe their music as “gunk pop”, a self-coined term that’s equal parts grime and glitter, though they’ll be the first to admit it’s all “just hoopla with some lime.” Fronted by the fiercely honest and refreshingly self-aware Nicolle Swims, the band blends punk attitude with emotional rawness, creating something that feels both deeply personal and defiantly unpolished.

In this interview, we dig into the origins of their sound, their relationship with Seattle’s music history, and how their latest release, Psychotic Spew, came together. With humour, vulnerability, and a healthy dose of irreverence, Black Ends talk about live shows, songwriting, and the joy of making weird, loud, unapologetic art.

You've described your music as "gunk pop." Can you share the story behind coining this term and how it encapsulates your sound?

We get this question a lot - it’s all just words really. We’re a rock band (I’d like to think we are punk adjacent or whatever people say) and I thought when I was younger that it’d be cool to make up a name other than “rock n roll” or “grunge” that I could label myself as on my own accord before someone else did. Gunk means something nasty and dirty. Pop means catchy pop tunes. It’s not a very deep meaning I just thought it sounded good for the music I’m making. I regret coining the term cuz everyone thinks we're pretentious and think were different than everyone else. In reality It’s all just hoopla with some lime. Gunk Pop is dead!

Seattle has a rich musical history. How has the city's culture and music scene influenced your artistry and the development of Black Ends, and how do you see yourselves contributing to its evolution?

The music scene is really pleasing right now and quite inspiring. So many people love music. So many people are starting bands - bad and good and not giving a shit. It’s beautiful. Seattle culture has always been a part of our music inherently because we’re all from here basically. The history of 90’s Seattle is an obvious inspiration to the music we make but so are the smaller bands my friends were in during my high school days. The bands my friends are in now here in the city. It’s all an inspiration. I love music and seeing people around me work hard making shit they enjoy will always be an inspiration. I guess the answer to the evolution question would be we’re playing this music with the band being mostly queer, women and also Black fronted which we don’t see get praise with this music as often as we should. I think that’s evolution - the music is good and people are paying attention regardless but it feels like a feat throwing it in a racist homophobe's face like “see? We can do this too and probably better than you!”

Psychotic Spew showcases a blend of raw energy and emotional depth. Can you walk us through your creative process during the making of this album? How did you balance technical brilliance with the manic-depressive themes present in the record?

Ben and I were getting together a lot before we recorded PS and we were just hashing ideas left and right. I would bring the song and we would work on it together until it sounded better and better and better. I don’t know about the technical brilliance or anything - I think we just wanted to make an album we liked and we’re proud of and we worked hard to make that come to fruition. The manic depressive part probably came from me having manic depression and too many confusing feelings. Ha

You've mentioned influences ranging from Nirvana to Nina Simone. How do these diverse inspirations manifest in your songwriting and performances?

I just want to be the punk rock Nina Simone. She was already a punk though really. Her politics, the way she structured songs and used her unique voice as an instrument always intrigued me. I’ve found Kurt does the same thing for me - he uses his voice not only for crooning and letting out depth of feeling but it’s also a real instrument. It’s egoless and beautiful. Music is the only thing that matters when you’re making music - not how you look not what anyone thinks about it. It’s just getting your music out there and being as real and sincere as possible. Egoless and true.

Can you elaborate on your songwriting process? How do you balance the gritty elements of your music with melodic structures?

I’m not sure. I just write songs and it comes out how it comes out - there’s not a lot of thinking about it especially when it comes to the first ideas of something. I just wait to feel and let it all out on my guitar. I really like catchy melodies and I just play what I hear in my head most times. I start playing on my classical and go from there.

Your live shows are known for their intensity. How do you translate the rawness of your recordings to the stage, and what do you aim to convey to your audience during performances?

I don’t believe our recordings are raw. I think the live show is way more of a raw thing because we have no choice really. I mean we have cellos and twerkers and flugelhorns and tap dancers on the album and we can only afford to play alone up there when we tour and play shows and stuff. I think the energy live is way more raw and I honestly like it more - it’s good ‘ol punk ‘n roll. Also I don’t know. We don’t try and ‘convey’ anything. We play songs, we do a little dance 'n sing and leave stage watch other band leave venue. Honestly I wish more people would throw dung and tomatoes.

The album art for Psychotic Spew is striking and layered with symbolism. Can you discuss the concept behind it and how it complements the themes of the album?

We went to a park called Golden Gardens in Seattle and found a wall we liked there. Once we found the wall, we set up all of our knick knacks and things until it looked good enough for a photo. We just took the main photo with Ben’s phone since we didn’t have a fancy camera or anything. I want to leave the conceptualizing

You're set to perform at The Hope and Anchor in London on May 17. How are you preparing for this show, and what can fans expect from your performance? Are there any unique elements or surprises planned for this particular gig?

I feel like it’s very weird to plan for any show. We are going to show up and play our asses off like we usually do for every show. There’s no plan. Maybe I’ll change my guitar strings. Idk. Bands that plan too much for shows don’t usually interest me at all. Unless it’s like Mold Mom (a band I like from Seattle). Maybe we’ll eat some bass strings and puke em with our stomach blood to keep it interesting

What's next for Black Ends? Are there upcoming projects or directions you're excited to explore?

We’re getting weirder. Longer songs. More noise. We’re going to try and release something by the end of the year hopefully. We’ll see. Think Rush if they could barely play the guitar but had a cool and talented rhythm section. We are straying further from the pop element since people have called me Gwen Stefani too many times. Those days are over now and just know that every time someone says it, we will stray further away from Father God and it is your fault! “You sound like Gwen Stefani” over and over we will turn into Mortiferum!

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By the REAL Editorial Team | May 13, 2025