Seaway ‘All In My Head’ EP

Seaway

New York - Seaway is Canada’s contribution to this year’s class of pop rock bands. Although the band has been steadily releasing EPs since 2011, their 2013 debut full-length Hoser was the first of their releases to gain the band anything close to mainstream attention; although they have deserved recognition since “Sabrina the Teenage Bitch” and the Seaway EP. To follow-up their recent success, the band released a new EP, All In My Head, this week via Pure Noise Records.

The EP continues the band’s trend of don’t-take-me-too-seriously songs. They don’t sound like Blink 182 or New Found Glory, but they definitely sound like they grew up on the stuff. “My Friends Over You” and “Pathetic” were probably on repeat during the band members’ teenage years. Their single, “Your Best Friend,” off All In My Head definitely follows in the footsteps of those bands. It has the sentiment and sounds of songs like The Starting Line’s “Surprise, Surprise.” The song, which follows the age-old story of a guy whose girlfriend’s best friend falls for him, is just plain fun. Ken Taylor, the band’s drummer, really adds to what is already an infectious pop rock song. Although with New Found Glory on the brain, the song’s main lyric (“Don’t you go crying now / Cause your best friend’s my girlfriend”) sounds an awful lot like the chorus (“It’s not your fault so please stop your crying now”) of New Found Glory’s “It’s Not Your Fault.” If Forever the Sickest Kids can sing, “I guess this is growing up” in “Coffee Break” without ticking off the Blink fandom, it’ll probably be ok.  Either way, it’s still a good, catchy song and perhaps the strongest on the EP.

The rest of the tracks kind of fail to inspire. Perhaps it is because Hoser had such a variety of songs that combined a mix of old and new material and this small sampling can’t quite measure up. However, it isn’t a sophomore slump. The second track on the EP, “Alberta,” may not be as memorable as Hoser’s “Shy Guys,” but on an instrumental level it is as noteworthy. Most Seaway songs have more to them musically than they do lyrically. Vocalist Ryan Locke has a great, kind of gravel-y voice (think: Jesse Lacey without the screaming) that pairs perfectly with Patrick Carleton’s softer voice. However, the lyrics they’re singing fail to rouse much of a sing-along.

Seaway Album

The last two songs on the EP, “If I Came Back For You” and “The Let Down,” aren’t bad either. They don’t merit being skipped over; they just don’t have much that distinguishes them. The instrumental breaks in “If I Came Back For You” are well timed and well written, but they don’t outweigh the rest, which is unimaginative. Although yet again Taylor’s drumming does add something to the mix. His parts support the theory that Seaway, at least instrumentally, are more talented than their lyrics may suggest. Now all they need is the words and for that they don’t need to overcomplicate or unnecessarily add multi-syllabic SAT words to their vocabulary. “Homewrecker” and “Lifted” off their 2012 Split EP with “Safe to Say” proves that they can be concise and still catch our attention. Hopefully the band will take more time with their lyrics for their next full-length release.

Seaway is currently touring the U.S.  They have a handful of Canadian dates in December and then hit the U.K., starting in January.  Check their Facebook for dates.
Zoe Marquedant

Zoe Marquedant

Zoe Marquedant is a Marylander now living in Brooklyn. She recently graduated from Sarah Lawrence College where she majored in Journalism and English literature. She is a freelance journalist, who primarily writes on music and culture. Her work can be seen in Boston Magazine, Highlight Magazine as well as on rsvlts.com, mxdwn.com and Baeblemusic.com. When not writing, Zoe is probably working her way through a new series on Netflix, researching new pie recipes and collecting dumb jokes (e.g. Two fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says, "You man the guns. I’ll drive.") Follow her vain attempts at mastering social media at @zoenoumlaut
Zoe Marquedant