Seapony - "Go With Me"

Artist: Seapony
Album: Go With Me
Label: Hardly Art
Release Date: May 31st, 2011
Review by: Sean Kayden

Go With Me is the dreamy, simplistic and melodic oeuvre from newcomers, Seapony. Originally from Seattle, this 3-piece band consists of songwriter Danny Rowland, vocalist Jen Weidl and bass player Ian Brewer. Actual drums are non-existent, but in its place is a vintage synthesizer/drum machine. Seapony’s debut record is composed of seamless fuzzed-out guitar melodies, reverb vocals, and beats from the aforementioned drum machine. The songs are hazy and wistful, but sometimes the lo-fi vocals make it difficult to decipher the lyrics initially. Often times you don’t know when a particular song starts or ends. Majority of the tracks are under three minutes and nearly all of them have similar arrangements and chords. Go With Me is a completely chilled-out record that doesn’t require all that much from the listener. Personally, I’m fine with that as long as you’re in that particular mood. If you seek higher meaning, take heed to another audible outlet.

Like many summer indie albums pouring in by the dozens, Go With Me is idyllic and gentle. It’s the quintessential bedroom music played in the background of other things you are attending to. The twelve tracks fly by while it may be a good thing if you become tiresome of the same sound for 35 minutes. At the same token, if you dig the first track or two, you’ll most likely be content on how the rest of the album plays out. It’s a breezy and uncomplicated listen from start to finish. Seapony’s sound is surf rock meets noise-pop. Songs like “Always” and “With You” feel like they were recycled off Beach Fossils’ debut record. The best comparison to another band they sound like is Best Coast (also with a female singer). Both bands suffer from not having all that much variety in their respective songs. However, there’s no argument that the tunes on Go With Me are lovely and cheerful, but don’t expect any songs to be grounded into your head after completion. Truth of the matter, you’ll probably have a difficult time remembering which song is which because of the overwhelming resemblance each consecutive song has to one another.

At the end of the day, Seapony isn’t going to change you, but that’s just it. The expressive charm behind Seapony’s debut record is simplicity. The lyrics are lucid and the arrangements seem nearly identical in most songs. Despite the lack of diversity, Go With Me still delivers given the genre it’s coming from. It’s a sweet and carefree record that’s ultimately very likable. If you’re a fan of the effervescent pop rock complexion like myself, Seapony is definitely worth checking out. The replay value on Go With Me may not be present like other standout albums from this year, but played here and there should be just the right medicine. Like all good remedies, once you get too used to it, there’s really not much more need for it.

Key Tracks: “I Would Never”, “Blue Star”, “What You See”, “Where We Go”
Grade: 7 out of 10.

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Published on July 23rd, 2011 by Mountain Views News.