It’s been a little while since I threw any of my wall-of-sound, guitar-fuzzed shoegaze tracks into the mix. So tonight’s going to be all about the shimmery offerings from German outfit Seasurfer. I’ve got a couple of songs from them, “We Run” and “Hide,” kind of a nice play on words when used together.
Curiously, both appear in that same order on Seasurfers’ 2014 debut, appropriately dubbed “Dive In.” I sort of forgot all about that. I mean, I remember really loving this album when it came out. But like many things, I just lost track of it over the years, until a few months back, when “Hide” re-emerged on one of my shuffled playlists, reminding me of its gleaming reverberations of aural brilliance. That, of course, lead me to rediscovering said-debut, and the other single in question, “We Run.”
So let’s start there. “We Run” is a sprawling fuzz-fest of infinite guitars, awash in sculpted distortion, shaped into scintillating melodies of potent beauty. It’s a mesmerizing sliver of sonic intensity, whisking you to and fro, high and low, until reaching a warped wobble of feedback that feels entirely more graceful than you’d expect.
What sets Seasurfer apart from fellow shoegazed peers is the distinct discernibility of Dorian E’s powerfully mystified vocals. She gets a lot of comparisons to Siouxsie Sioux, which is fair. But I think she’s got more in common with the Jezebels’ Hayley Mary, at least her earlier work in the Australian outfit. That’s a stark contrast to say someone like Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, who not only embodies the genre, but helped define it. And that’s not a bad thing. Because it works, particularly on a track like “We Run,” offering a crisp counterbalance to the nuanced oscillation of noise swirling beneath.
“We Run” from the 2014 album “Dive In.”
“Hide” embodies many of these gleaming aural qualities, yet takes a slightly softer, more dream-pop approach. And I use the word softer with the subtlest intent. We’re talking degrees here. I mean, this one still blasts you with beautifully blistering shards of sonic overload. But “Hide” strives for a bit more melody in the mix. It almost feels like a ballad’s pressing against this particular wall of sound, misting through in understatements of exquisite ethereality.
“Hide” from the 2014 album “Dive In.”
I’d wrap it up there. But I think I’m going to add one more track to this post. Consider it a bonus, if you will. It’s called “Dragon Song,” and it’s just a pleasant piece of dream-infused pop music. Unlike the previous two mentions, I feel this one is motivated more by Dorian’s vocals than the super-sonic shoegaze aesthetic. She just has room to breathe and space to shine, oscillating her voice between the lucid and the illusory. Plus, it’s about dragons. And who doesn’t love dragons … even if it’s probably metaphor?
Enjoy this last one!
“Dragon Song” from the 2014 album “Dive In.”
