The unique fuzzpop sound of The Mood Swings developed when guitarist/songwriter Ashley Ackerson joined forces with kindred spirit Sallie Watson in the early 2000s and started cutting some 4-track demos. A little punk here, a little 60s garage there, a lot of attitude everywhere – The Mood Swings sound melded all these ingredients into hard hitting tunes prickly with pop hooks, sharp-witted lyrics and searing guitars.
The Mood Swings released three ace albums on Susstones from 2005-2009, all produced by the late, great Ed Ackerson. These albums featured catchy tunes with an edge and a bit of psychedelic mayhem thrown in. During this time, The Mood Swings greatly expanded their sonic palette and perfected a winning live show that showcased well-crafted original songs mixed in with expertly curated covers.
Following her tenure in The Mood Swings, Ashley joined forces with her husband Ed to launch their new project BNLX, a subversive noise punk outfit that dispatched over a dozen releases in the 2010s while slamming audiences using a two-pronged strategy that combined a blistering audio/visual attack with provocative songwriting.
After a long hiatus, The Mood Swings reunited in July 2021 with rhythm section Mike Reiter (drums) and Mark Wade (bass) for a live birthday celebration of Ed Ackerson's music.