Seahaven
Silhouette (EP)
Run For Cover Records (2014)
Sounds like: Brand New, Jawbreaker, early nineties rock/grunge/indie/emo
Score: 7/10
Seahaven is like the George Costanza of indie rock. They may not be for everybody, but if you can make it past those first couple of spins, you just might be won over. People often compare them to Brand New, and on some levels that can work, but to dismiss them as a direct copy is a disservice to the band and the music they’ve created. There is much more at work here. The vocals will catch you off guard and the music has an ebb and flow to it that can lead a listener into places that they might not understand. At times it can be droning and redundant but never does it feel like a chore. Sometimes the music just up and dies out of nowhere, and as a listener, you are kind of just along for the ride.
Their third release, the 3-song Silhouette EP, builds on Seahaven’s already strong foundation and capitalizes on their strengths, creating interesting guitar textures and melodies that softly beat into you and beg repeating. This may seem like a backhanded compliment but Silhouette is perfect background music. It sets a very chill atmosphere that gestates and builds until eventually you find yourself singing along to the very vocalist that you possibly hated just a short while ago. It all bleeds together so well, and new sounds and instruments seem to pop up with every listen.
With only 3 songs, it feels weird to call out a favorite, but the second track “Sleep Alone” has a very interesting and unique vocal melody that stands out and demands attention. I gave Silhouette a score of 7, but this should be taken with a grain of salt. Short EP’s like this are tough to judge. Despite putting out an enjoyable 14 minutes of music, it’s still only 14 minutes, some of which is pure ambience. If they can put together a full length of material like this and keep it interesting, then they will truly be onto something. Despite all of their possible shortcomings, Seahaven has a decent track record with their past releases (Winter Forever / Ghost) and Silhouette is a pretty solid EP that should be given a chance.
The entire EP can be heard on Run For Cover’s YouTube Channel.
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