Denver-based indie folk duo Wife Swap stopped by the KGNU studio for a live session with DJ Jules on The Morning Sound Alternative. The pair performed several original songs, including “Dickinson,” “July,” “Nintendo,” and “Jubilee,” and shared stories about their collaborative songwriting process, musical inspirations, and the role harmony plays in their sound. They also discussed upcoming performances across Colorado, reflected on their first tour in Alaska, and talked about turning life’s challenges into music. (Air Date 3/26/26).
Listen to the studio session here:
Transcript:
DJ Jules:
In the Red Studio with me, I have the honor and pleasure of having guests right here. We have Wife Swap in studio. Good morning.
Wife Swap:
Good morning.
DJ Jules:
How are you two today?
Wife Swap:
Good.
Pretty good, I would say. It’s a sunny day. We were just at your picnic table outside practicing. It’s so nice out.
DJ Jules:
That’s the perfect place to be, right?
And now you’re here in studio, live on air at KGNU.
Wife Swap:
Heck yeah.
DJ Jules:
Wonderful. What brings you into the studio with me today?
Wife Swap:
We love playing on community radio and public radio. We’re local to Denver, so it’s exciting for us to be here in Boulder and share our music locally.
DJ Jules:
That’s perfect, because we love supporting local musicians and sharing the sounds of our community. It’s great that you love being on air and playing for us.
Wife Swap:
Thanks for having us.
DJ Jules:
Absolutely. Do you want to jump right in and play a song for the KGNU listeners tuning in?
Wife Swap:
Why not?
DJ Jules:
All right. What is the first song you’re going to play today?
Wife Swap:
This is one of our songs called “Dickinson.” You’ll get what it’s about.
DJ Jules:
Perfect. We’ll wait and see.
[Performance of “Dickinson”]
DJ Jules:
Goodness, your voices are so beautiful.
Wife Swap:
Thank you.
DJ Jules:
Oh my gosh, thank you. Now I’m even more excited that you’re here. This is so great. Are we writing songs about poets?
Wife Swap:
That one sure is.
DJ Jules:
You picked up on that.
I did. I’m pretty quick. Thank you for noticing. Are we big poetry fans?
Wife Swap:
I’m certainly a big poetry fan. I went to school in Western Massachusetts, and the Emily Dickinson House was in my college town. It was a place you’d go at night and look in the windows. That’s what I was thinking about when I wrote the song. I like to read poetry.
DJ Jules:
I love that. When was the last time you read a poem?
Wife Swap:
That’s a good question. I have a little e.e. cummings collection that I carry around with me, so probably at the airport a couple of weeks ago.
DJ Jules:
I love that.
Wife Swap:
Becky is more of the poet in our group. Becky wrote that song. Typically, we write songs separately and then bring them to each other. We work on them together until they become Wife Swap songs. That’s what happened with this one.
DJ Jules:
I love that. So Becky brings you a song. What are the steps to make it your own and turn it into a Wife Swap song?
Wife Swap:
Our next song is actually the reverse example. Danielle brought it to me.
DJ Jules:
Okay.
Wife Swap:
I heard her play it at a small music showcase where she was performing a lot of originals. Afterwards I kept saying, “Can we do a Wife Swap version of that, please?”
Wife Swap:
That’s kind of what happens. We harass each other until we play it together and perform it in front of people.
It usually starts with singing along to each other’s songs. Harmonizing is our favorite thing to do.
DJ Jules:
I love that. How long does the harassment process take?
Wife Swap:
It depends on the song. It could take a week or two. It could take a few months. Maybe even a year. But it usually comes around, and the result is a beautiful thing.
DJ Jules:
We’re in it for the long game. How long did it take for this next song to go from a Danielle song to a Wife Swap song?
Wife Swap:
Pretty quickly. Maybe a month or so. This one is available online if you check out Wife Swap—two words—on any listening platform. It’s called “July” and it’s off our last release, Hardly Nowhere. The version online is a demo we recorded in my kitchen, and we’ll play a similar version for you now.
DJ Jules:
Perfect. Let’s get into it.
[Performance of “July”]
DJ Jules:
That’s a lovely one.
Wife Swap:
Thank you.
DJ Jules:
KGNU listeners, if you’re just tuning into The Morning Sound Alternative, we have the honor and pleasure of having Wife Swap in studio with us. Where can listeners find you beyond streaming platforms and stay informed about what’s happening in the Wife Swap world?
Wife Swap:
Thank you for asking. For better or worse, we’re on Instagram at @wife.swap222. If you search for Wife Swap—two words—on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen, you’ll find us.
There is another band called WifeSwap, one word, but we don’t acknowledge them. It would be hard to confuse our music with theirs because they sound very different.
DJ Jules:
What about live performances? Where can listeners see you perform?
Wife Swap:
We have an upcoming show in Buena Vista at Deerhammer Distillery for Oyster Fest on April 24th. We know that’s a bit of a drive, but we’d love to see people there.
We also play at The Roxy on Broadway fairly often. You can find us around Denver and the foothills.
We’re also going to be singing harmonies with our friend Nolan Rominger at Swallow Hill on May 21st. Derek Dames Ohl will be there as well.
DJ Jules:
Perfect. So listeners have options: they can listen online or come see you live.
Wife Swap:
Exactly. We’re also playing the Louisville Farmers Market a couple of times this summer.
DJ Jules:
That’s fun. Do you know the dates?
Wife Swap:
September 12th is confirmed.
And a quick shout-out: we went on our first tour last summer in Alaska, where we had our first radio appearances. We were there for three weeks. We may be heading out on a small East Coast tour this summer, so stay tuned.
DJ Jules:
If that happens, where would you ideally like to play?
Wife Swap:
I’m from the Boston area, so anywhere around there would be great. We applied to a festival in Vermont and are waiting to hear back.
Western Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine are all beautiful at the end of summer. Hopefully we’ll get some shows out there.
DJ Jules:
Perfect. I’ll be out there at the end of July, so I’ll be checking your socials and bringing the crew.
Wife Swap:
We’d love to see you.
DJ Jules:
Let’s declare our next song.
Wife Swap:
I declare “Nintendo.”
DJ Jules:
Boom. It’s done.
Wife Swap:
This is another original of ours. It’s unreleased, so enjoy it now while you can. It will be coming out soon.
[Performance of “Nintendo”]
DJ Jules:
Beautiful. The harmonies and the way your voices blend together are lovely.
Wife Swap:
Thank you.
DJ Jules:
That line, “These past few days I’m made of glass again,” really hit me.
Wife Swap:
That came from a difficult period. You know how sometimes you just go through stretches of low mood?
DJ Jules:
Absolutely. My friends and I call them the high highs and low lows.
Wife Swap:
That’s exactly what I was going through.
DJ Jules:
And what a beautiful outlet to process that and move through it.
Wife Swap:
I talk with my brother Michael about that a lot. Shout-out to Michael, who’s basically the third member of our band. He records a lot of our music and plays most of the other instruments on our recordings.
It’s amazing how music can take a sad moment and make something beautiful out of it. Or deepen your sadness in a way that becomes meaningful. It’s like magic.
DJ Jules:
Totally. It is magic. Sometimes a song sounds joyful, but when you really listen to the lyrics, it’s heartbreaking.
Wife Swap:
Exactly. Take “Rhinestone Cowboy.” If you really listen to the lyrics, it’s incredibly sad. It’s all about hoping success will come someday—but not yet.
DJ Jules:
I haven’t listened to that song in a while. Now I’ll have to revisit it.
Before we play your last song, who are you listening to right now? Who are your current favorites?
Wife Swap:
One of our biggest inspirations is Big Thief.
They’re coming to Red Rocks in October, and if anyone out there knows anyone from Big Thief, we’d love to open for them.
We’re available.
I’ve also been listening to the new Mitski album. I’m a huge Beatles and Paul McCartney fan. There’s a new documentary about his 1970s period, so I’ve been revisiting a lot of his solo work, especially McCartney II.
DJ Jules:
Amazing. Thank you for sharing that.
KGNU listeners, if you’re just tuning in, you’re in luck because you’re about to hear one more live in-studio performance from Wife Swap. They’re a Denver-based band here in the Boulder studio. You can find them on social media and streaming platforms, but right now you can hear them live on KGNU.
Let’s declare our final song.
Wife Swap:
This is another original called “Jubilee.”
I wrote this song during a difficult time. I was feeling grumpy and heard people laughing. At first I thought, “Why are they laughing?” But then it reminded me that joy is a beautiful thing. People can find joy even when life is hard.
[Performance of “Jubilee”]
