Seahaven

Silhouette [7-inch] (2014)

RENALDO69

Seahaven's Winter Forever was a record I judged wrong. After a first few listens, it glanced as a 'pretty cool but nothing special' record. Then months after, it grew and grew leaps and bounds on me. Their potent storytelling and an indie-alternative vibe that pushes itself when it touches base on the fundamentals of 90s emo will always have them pegged as a band I dub 'severely underrated'. That's after I realized the error of my ways. Silhouette 7" continues where they last left off. Soulful music unfolding at a much slower tempo.

"Silhouette (Latin Skin)" opens affairs and sets the mood for the record - a consistently slow tempo. Kyle Soto's vocals are constantly evocative and stirring as he dwells on topics. You sense themes of introspection, reflection, soul-peering and nostalgia. This is a twinkly, calm and deeply alternative ballad on romance and camaraderie in life. There's something unique and exceptional in Soto's delivery, as it feels off-putting, emotionless, dreary and dark. His words are pessimistic, yet so personal and relatable. His drawl packs a calm swagger that contradicts the energies of the guitars usually but on this record, the chords and calm strumming matches his voice and complement his catalog of woe. He never runs his course as he garners sympathy in each word that feels like a world of hurt just came crashing down.

The plucky intro of "Sleep Alone" lulls you into a false sense of security that the musical sound will shift to an upbeat manner but it remains steeped in a catchy, indie vibe, and yes, much more toned down what you'd expect. Soto seems to be a purist in his musical prose, going for that emotional response. They instill more of the emo/90s melodic vibe on the closer "Phantom Family" which is built again on a lax, sombre rhythm backed by a gloomy, thumping bassline, but in the end, it's catchy and head-nodding. Their harmony is perfect and sweet.

It's clear they wanted to tease for bigger things in 2014. I'll look forward to their LP, no doubt, because this certainly whets the appetite. Soto and his team utilize this album as a sprawl of poetry to transcribe a teaser for life's trauma. The lyrics compound that in spades. It's a sad, depressive and teary album. But the soundtrack to the stories are worth it. Fully.