We are very happy to announce that the beautiful Bristol boys who call themselves Seasfire are releasing their debut EP. And it lives up to promise. With a great (though brief) set on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds this year, it definitely has been a busy time since they formed in 2011.
We Will Wake features lead track and single of the same name. It’s pretty haunting but it sets the tone and works as the opening track. This is what Seasfire do. Josh Thorn’s voice is an instrument; there are no two ways about it. Slipping effortlessly into Dan Grech’s electro remix, the layers of the track are a lovely blend of piano, synth, drum beat and vocals. The reassuring lyrics tell us that “We can dream this nightmare over, we can dream this nightmare away. It won’t be long till shadows gone and dawn will break.” Stellar advice as ever. ‘You Won’t Be’ enjoys a similar layering of instruments. It’s all rather cracking.
‘How Do You Sleep’, is stripped back. It has moments when it gets more heavy, but this one is about the voice. As a bit of a theme, the lyrics are pretty deep in Seasfire’s tracks and this is a prime example. While the nature of the problem isn’t explicit, the overriding motif is certainly one of numbness. It’s a musical intervention; “how can you sleep, you can barely feel”.
‘Human Sacrifice’ begins ever so slowly, as the synth mounts and the distorted notes are layered for a minute before the drum beat kicks in. The distinct lack of vocals in the first minute-and-a-half constructs a very different track from the rest of the EP. When they do come in, they seem somehow less important. They become just another part of the general melancholic soundscape. The heavy remix makes them almost indistinguishable as vocals at all at points.
‘Undone’ has been floating around for a while and has a review of its very own right here.
This doesn’t really sound like a debut. Seasfire have found their sound and we can’t really see that changing anytime soon. And we don’t mind a bit.
Catch them at one of their December dates (and before they get massive), at their own shows or supporting DYC fav Bastille this December. With their Topman-esque good looks, polished sound and Radio 1 being big fans, they’re probably going to do pretty well.
4th December – Seasfire EP Launch Party, The Louisiana, Bristol
6th December – Bastille + Seasfire, Sub 89, Reading
7th December – Bastille + Seasfire, The Apex, Bury St Edmunds
8th December – Bastille + Seasfire, Kasbah, Coventry
10th December – Seasfire, Goldust, Hoxton Bar & Grill, London
11th December – Seasfire, The Soup Kitchen, Manchester
15th December – Seasfire, Stealth, Nottingham
We Will Wake is out 3 December on Cheap Thrills
Discover Seasfire: Tumblr // Facebook // Soundcloud // Twitter
By Maddie Russell
Dance Yrself Clean
