Quelques années après "The Quickening" (Thrill Jockey, 2020), la guitariste américaine Marisa Anderson et le batteur australien Jim White (cf. Dirty Three ou le duo Xylouris-White) se sont retrouvés dans une petite ville côtière d'Australie pour enregistrer au rythme du vent et des marées, loin de la frénésie du monde industriel, ce second album.

"It was a big change of vibe and scenery to be out of the city and on the coast with no distraction and to be working with an engineer (and avid surfer) who is attuned to the cycles of tides and sunrises and sunsets and ocean rhythms. I think all of that got into the music as we were making it." (Marisa Anderson)

"Swallowtail deepens [Jim White's] telepathic collaboration with guitarist Marisa Anderson, their circular improvisations like a spinning top that wobbles but never topples." (NPR Music)