A Constant Sea is the debut album from the Brooklyn quartet Heliotropes. Released June 18 on Manimal Vinyl, A Constant Sea is a sturdy and creative first album but moreover, it’s a remarkably dusky record that synthesizes the forces of metal, psychedelic, post-rock and just about any other type of genre which demands seriously high volume. (The last release was the single, “I Walked With a Zombie,” which is a Roky Erickson — of the 13th Floor Elevators — cover, so it’s no surprise that the band’s first full release would pay homage to the psychedelic tones of genre’s tragic star.)
“Early in the Morning” kicks off the album without a build-up or a melodic introduction; it rather ambushes the listener with power chords and slamming drums before slowing down about mid-song. This mid-song break down is a reverse trend for typical songwriting whereas the supposed breakdown comes, instead of in the form of a sudden kick of loudness, in a sudden mellowing of sound before quickly returning to the band’s more characteristically loud sound.
While that loud sound might be characteristic, it is not exclusive. We quickly realized that in A Constant Sea Heliotropes are fully capable of producing more than heavy metal. “Everyone Else” is an almost ballad-like track that showcases the potential delicacy of Jessica Numsuwankijku’s voice (which is usually more in the lazy, drawling family). This isn’t to say that suddenly Heliotropes becomes a light and poppy band. Even in tracks where the band succumbs to more tuneful instincts, Heliotropes never sacrifices its dedication for the deep tones.
With the nonchalance that Numsuwankijku’s voice tends to carry and the constant thick energy the entire band brings throughout, it would be easy for tracks to blend into each other and for us to lose individuality for the sake of a theme. This, however, is not the case. What makes A Constant Sea such a listenable album are the subtle inclusions of seemingly contradictory characters throughout the record. While the main players of standard guitar, bass, drum and vocals remain steadfast in their intensity and drive, Heliotropes add in the occasional orchestral or acoustic guitar interlude. It adds diversity to an album that might otherwise have gotten lost within itself.
A Constant Sea is available on Amazon and iTunes; you can also check out the girls’ upcoming tour dates here (having been named by Pitchfork, Paper Magazine and Brooklyn Vegan as one of the top bands to see at 2013’s CMJ you won’t want to miss them!).
