Mute Swan - Like a Chump [Video]
“Like a Chump” wraps heavy guitar in grey-day atmosphere, with just enough mischief to keep the clouds from settling.
![Mute Swan - Like a Chump [Video]](/content/images/size/w2000/2026/02/Mute-Swan---Like-a-Chump.jpg)
There are songs that shimmer in full light, and then there are songs that belong to a grey afternoon, when the sky hangs low, and the sun only breaks through for a second before retreating again. Mute Swan’s “Like a Chump” lives in that in-between space.
Where “Cocteau Swan” glowed with lift and harmony, this new single leans inward. The Tucson, AZ–based dream-pop project trades sparkle for mood, letting dense guitars and a hushed emotional undercurrent slowly unfold. Nothing rushes. The song breathes. It lingers.
Speaking about the dusty space-rock of “Like a Chump,” which marks another deluge of guitar wrapped in threads of synth, Mike Barnett (guitar/vocals) says:
“I asked our drummer, Gilbert, if he had a beat I could use to write a new song and he said, just use the beat from Nookie by Limp Bizkit. Anyway, I used some of the lyrics too and Hannah McCain (Sonya Blade) sang the outro. We really hope Fred Durst hears it.”
“Like a Chump” appears on the band’s forthcoming sophomore LP Skin Slip, due March 6 via Hit The North Records and Wooden Tooth Records — a record that now carries added resonance following the passing of guitarist Thomas Sloane. There’s no heaviness in the sound itself, but knowing the context adds a quiet depth to every note.
On a day when the light barely pushes through the clouds, this is exactly the kind of song you want close. Listen to “Like a Chump,” our Song Pick of the Day.
Connect with Mute Swan and add "Like a Chump" to your playlist as we add it to our #glamglarepick playlist on Spotify and YouTube. Listen to our Song Pick of the Day on Spotify or Apple Music.