I must admit, my imagination had been stretched wondering what Seafood would come up with next. A statement issued earlier in the year claimed that “the guitars are back to knock your block off”. Would Seafood lose everything that made As The Cry Flows great? Would they lose the folk-tinged tone that marked a progression in the band's sound? The new single, ‘Signal Sparks’, doesn’t help me answer these questions in full, but as a single it breeds new ideas as to where the London trio are going next.
‘Signal Sparks’ conjures up images of night. Think driving down a country road in the dark - a quiet place with little action and even less surprise, a fast enough drive to keep you alert, yet slow enough to catch the unexpected twists and turns that sparsely jump out every few miles. From the rolling bassline in the quiet verse coupled with the guitar-led harmony, ‘Signal Sparks’ strolls through safely, barely remembering the Sonic Youth-esque numbers they ploughed out at the height of their popularity. Don’t inaugurally dismiss this as bad news, though – the instrumentation is lovely, David Line's vocals are back on form, and lyrically Seafood are more open and honest than ever before. It’s recognisably Seafood, but the band now seem confident enough to develop their ideas and song structures while keeping away from sounding like a dull MOR rock act.
This track is an anthem – the summer festivals' sing-along without the regret or embarrassment the morning after, a three-minute exodus in which the heart pumps blood quicker than usual and the hairs stand to attention on the back of your neck. Much like the twilight journey down the country road, it’s unclear what will happen next, but the first mile down this route has been a slow, but nonetheless engaging one.
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8Ben Yates's Score