The iconic band formerly known as British Sea Power have announced that they are now just Sea Power and will be releasing a brand new album entitled ‘Everything Was Forever’ on 11 February 2022. To kick off the new era, a brilliant single ‘Two Fingers’ has just been released.
The name change comes as no huge surprise and is clearly a reflection of the discomfort with any association with jingoism and nationalism, and represents the band’s global perspective. A full statement by the band on the name change can be found here.
New single ‘Two Fingers’ is classic Sea Power: pastoral, baroque, driving, intelligent indie rock with heart and passion. Co-frontman Yan says of the track:
The song is part inspired by our late dad. He was always giving a two-fingered salute to people on the telly – a kind of old-fashioned drinking term, toasting people or events: ‘I’ll drink two fingers to that’, to some news item or to memories of a childhood friend. In the song it’s a toast to everyone, remembering those in our lives and those sadly no longer here and to making the world a better place. The song is ‘F*** me, f*** you, f*** everything.’ But it’s also ‘Love me, love you, love everything’ – exultation in the darkness. If you say ‘f*** you’ in the right way, it really can be cathartic, a new start.
The classic Sea Power melodic and anthemic strength is to the fore: stirring and indelible music that shines with passion and verisimilitude:
And despite the name change, there remains something quintessentially British: a soundscape reflecting a wry, self-deprecatory sense of humor imbued with the verdant, pastoral countryside and the wild and stormy seas of coastal Britain.
As ever, Sea Power’s lyrics are always defiantly intelligent and considered. Yan goes on to say of the single:
It’s maybe interesting that the song mentions nightmare monsters from the world of HP Lovecraft. This song has been around a little while, partly because of the big interruption of Covid. Between the song being written and the album being finished, the TV series Lovecraft Country was broadcast – which took the supernatural Lovecraft and ran it alongside 1950s America and Lovecraft’s racism. He was a terrible racist, a white supremacist, which is why his world is there in the song, like anti-matter – something full of horror and mankind at its worst. But, alongside the negative forces in the song, there’s also a strong hopeful intent, a desire to start anew. Beyond that, the track has influences that are just inspiring – David Lynch, Cold War Steve, the Sex Pistols, Joe Meek’s Telstar, the beauty of isolated landscapes.
It’s great to see this iconic band back and with such a classic single. You can download and stream ‘Two Finger’ here.
The new album ‘Everything Was Forever’ is out on 11 February 2022 and can be pre-ordered here.
Everything Was Forever track listing:
1. Scaring At The Sky
2. Transmitter
3. Two Fingers
4. Fire Escape In The Sea
5. Doppelgänger
6. Fear Eats The Soul
7. Folly
8. Green Goddess
9. Lakeland Echo
10. We Only Want To Make You Happy
Sea Power are:
Jan Scott Wilkinson – vocals / guitars
Neil Hamilton Wilkinson – vocals / guitars
Martin Noble – guitars
Matthew Wood – drums
Abi Fry – viola
Phil Sumner – keyboards / cornet
Feature Photograph: Hollywood
