Rivalling the bands in the US and UK pop punk scene is none other than Canadian upstarts Seaway. Releasing their debut album ‘Hoser’ in 2013, Seaway have boldly returned with the new EP, ‘All In My Head’ as well being signed to a new label to boot.
Kicking off the EP is lead single ‘Your Best Friend’. Accompanied by a music video in which the band show off their braggadocious alter-ego ‘Seaboiz’, ‘Your Best Friend’ is a catchy, heartfelt pop punk song. Of course, the lyrics do tend to range from angsty to plain immature, yet Seaway really capture the life and energy of the band and their genuine enjoyment of playing music. And without sounding like a total cliché, Seaway is evidently passionate of their band, and it really shines throughout the EP.
But onto the song itself. Jumping from the riff-heavy intro with the use of dual vocals, Patrick Carleton’s relatively sweeter voice bounces smoothly off Ryan Locke’s trademark gruff vocals. Of course, this has been used since their first release, yet Seaway have really honed their craft with the use of both vocalists, rivalling bigger bands in the scene such as Four Year Strong who use the same technique. This is carried on two tracks later with the similarly upbeat ‘The Let Down’. With the use of the particularly bouncy riffs, this song could have come out on a rock n roll record, just as much as ‘All In My Head’. And with the use of “bae” in the song’s lyrics, it shows that the band aren’t looking for anything other than a good time.
But it’s not all fun and games though, as second track ‘Alberta’ takes things down a notch sonically. The song itself is relatively more melancholic than the rest of the EP, with the song starting slow and sorrowful until its livelier chorus kicks in. Yet it’s not until the last track ‘If I Came Back For You’ that the band show off their softer, albeit quite anthemic side. It’s the songwriting on this track that really represent a more mature side of the band, and as the song comes to a close, Seaway really branch out into the more melodic, emo side of the genre.
Of course, with only four tracks there isn’t that much to say on the EP. Yet, Seaway have created a truly enjoyable release that nicely bridges the musical gap between their last album and their future releases, as well as showcasing the bands potential on Pure Noise Records. But in all honesty, if you only take one thing away from this EP, it’s that Seaway seems to be a band that has a lot of fun making music, and you can’t fault them for that really.
3/5
‘All In My Head’ EP by Seaway is out now on Pure Noise Records.
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Words by Harry Miller (@Harrrymiller)
