Swansea Skag Trades Addiction For Connection on  'you'll be dead before you know it'

Photo:  Oskar Theriault

Swansea Skag pulls no punches when it comes to laying his story bare on his debut EP, you'll be dead before you know it. For all who are willing to listen, Mason Stover, the artist behind Swansea Skag, passionately channels trauma, mistakes, and recovery into his music. "The opposite of addiction is connection," Mason confesses, reflecting on lessons learned through his journey of overcoming addiction.  

It's a rare form of honesty reflected so explicitly in Swansea Skag's you'll be dead before you know it. It's experimental, it's raw, and it's refreshingly authentic. It's a gut-wrenching illustration of vulnerability through music.

His single "I heard you bought a gun" is the best representation of this honest self-reflection displayed throughout the EP. "I sound real funny when I talk / I feel real funny when I walk /Scum from my bottom to my top / I wish I knew how to make it stop," sings Mason.

All our journeys are different, but all of us have moments of self-doubt. We may not all have shared experiences, but the emotions and internal struggles attached to them are very real and immensely universal. The reality is that no matter what you are going through, you are not alone. This is the connection that is opposite addiction, and this truth is evident in you'll be dead before you know it. We can all be grateful for Swansea Skag's willingness to tell his story through music in a way that makes our hardships feel seen too.

Listen to you'll be dead before you know it below:

Related Articles

Fireball Kid Juxtaposes the Glory and Gore of Partying on 'Deer Path Turn To A Shortcut' [Q&A]

Fireball Kid Juxtaposes the Glory and Gore of Partying on 'Deer Path Turn To A Shortcut' [Q&A]

May 11, 2026 Entranced by the honesty and gritty indie rock tone, we called Fireball Kid up to hear more about the creation of the album and the legends of local party-goers.
Author: Abby Kenna
Undeniably Singular, NYC Band Saudi Oil Walks Us Through Their Single, "Hair In My Shower Drain" [Q&A]

Undeniably Singular, NYC Band Saudi Oil Walks Us Through Their Single, "Hair In My Shower Drain" [Q&A]

May 11, 2026 Brash, irreverent, and pushing the boundaries of genre, we got the scoop from the band themselves.
Author: DJ Connor
Drucker's Debut Album, See Myself Out, Is Simultaneously Haunting and Sweet

Drucker's Debut Album, See Myself Out, Is Simultaneously Haunting and Sweet

May 4, 2026 We reached out to the rising talent from Montreal to get a track-by-track breakdown of the album.
Author: Abby Kenna