F  L  A  U  N  T

  RAG & BONE nylon jacket, cotton t-shirt and cotton jeans. THE KOOPLES leather jacket, cotton t-shirt, and jeans. THE KOOPLES wool blazer, RAG & BONE cotton t-shirt, and THE KOOPLES cotton 5-pock pant. THE KOOPLES lambskin leather jacket and cotton jeans and RAG & BONE cotton t-shirt  SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE mohair cardigan, THE KOOPLES cotton t-shirt, RAG & BONE cotton jeans, RICHER & POORER socks, VANS slip-ons, and CRAP EYEWEAR.  Clockwise from top left: A.P.C. wool jacket, RAG & BONE cotton henley and jeans, and CRAP EYEWEAR sunglasses. TOPMAN faux fur coat, AG cotton t-shirt, BEN SHERMAN wool trousers, and CRAP EYEWEAR sunglasses. SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE wool sweater, RAG & BONE cotton t-shirt, and CRAP EYEWEAR sunglasses. SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE mohair cardigan, THE KOOPLES cotton striped t-shirt, and CRAP EYEWEAR sunglasses.  THE KOOPLES cotton button-up. THE KOOPLES jacket and RAG & BONE cotton-linen blend polo. RAG & BONE cotton t-shirt. THE KOOPLES ‘yoke lambskin leather’ cotton and leather t-shirt. [](#)[](#) SWMRS Is Getting Metaphysical The Oakland-based trash pop band rates alien reality shows, demystifies the existence of Big Foot, and confirms a gnawing suspicion: our moms always know when we're lying. Conspiracy theories are oddly not really secretive, maybe originally, but a good conspiracy theory is one that has infiltrated the minds of volleyball coaches and Starbucks baristas throughout the kingdom. The potency is in the spread. Your grandma Lynn may have a collection of Yeti figurines, your childhood friend Mookie might’ve seen _JFK_ (1991) 57 times. The root of the word _conspire_ is from the Latin _conspirare_ meaning “to agree, unite, plot.” So in the spirit of original intent, let us all come together and stop the rat king, Ted Cruz. SWMRS is a four-piece band from Oakland. On their newest release, _Drive North_, they blend a trash-punk aesthetic with grunge-laden melodies. I spoke with singer/guitarist Cole Becker about the progression of the band’s sound, and then I just yelled a bunch of conspiracy theories at him to see how he’d reply. **Tell me about the transition in sound to your new record, _Drive North_, it has fuller production and it sounds more mature.** It’s kind of like a teenage project, we were really figuring out what we wanted to do, and we did Warped Tour so many times, and we had kind of developed an identity and a sound that wasn’t really reflecting who we were, and so with SWMRS we kind of tried to break from that. We wanted to make something that was new and incorporated all of our influences, from A Tribe Called Quest to Nirvana. **Do you think Big Foot is real?** I think he is real so much as God is \[real\], you know he provides someone sanity that helps them to get through their day. Helps them guide their life purpose. He’s not a corporeal being, but he’s real \[to them\]. **Illuminati?** Real. We’re from a part of the East Bay where there’s a ton of affluent Dads, and they’re all a part of the fuckin’ Illuminati, for sure. **Loch Ness monster?** Fake. **What about psychic powers?** Yeah, absolutely. Sometimes my mom kind of has psychic power, I’m really amazed how she can call my bullshit pretty deep easily. **The moon landing?** Fake. **Fake?! Really?!** I actually think it’s real. **Mermaids, anything there?** I know that Chloë Moretz is going to be The Little Mermaid, so pretty much real. **What about UFO’s?** Real. When we went on tour with the Aquabats they would always fuckin’ watch that _Ancient Aliens_ show on History Channel 2 and that shit was dedicated to UFO’s. **If you had to review _Ancient Aliens_ what letter grade would you give it?** Probably a B-minus. _Photographer: Brad Elterman For [7 Artist Management](http://www.7artistmgmt.com)._ _Stylist: Lwany For [Jedroot](http://www.jedroot.com)._ _Groomer: Ashley Gomila For [The Only Agency](http://theonly.agency/) using BAXTER OF CALIFORNIA_ [_Watch the film_](/blog50-pg35/music/film-swmrs)