Hamburg psych goth band Seasurfer released a magnificent and epic double album ‘Zombies, reviewed by me earlier this year. I wrote that it is an album packed full of anthemic dream pop songs that are differentiated from the pack by an electronic spine and dark-tinged gothic attack. Throughout the album, singer Apolonia’s voice is absolutely ethereal and angelic – creating a tension between her dulcet, soaring, velvet tones and the electronic thrumming drive that pulsates throughout.
Seasurfer has just announced that this epic volume of sky-scraping dark-tinged dream pop will be available as a vinyl release and, as a special treat to celebrate this announcement, are premiering a new video on Backseat Mafia for the magnificent track ‘Pretend’.
“Pretend’ is vaulting, energising music: a celestial wash of synths create a bedrock for the pounding rhythm section with its insistent, effortless drive. Apolonia’s vocals are haunting, hushed and distant, floating above the wall of reverberated noise.
Edited by French director JH Rochereuil, the video for ‘Pretend’ is a mesmerising compilation of stunning visuals that perfectly compliment the brooding enigmatic tones of the track. Apolonia says of the track and visuals:
It’s one of my favourites. Humans ‘pretend’ all the time – sometimes unconsciously, sometimes not. Playing make-belief, behaving one way, yet feeling the opposite. In relationships, in politics for imaginary excitement or simply survival. There was something hypnotic about Dirk’s first instrumental version that caught me immediately, so the words shot straight out of me. I love when that happens: when the music, the lyrics and later the visuals become one. The video director JH Rochereuil also understood the atmosphere of the song perfectly.
It is perfect marriage of sight and sound made in a gothic shoegaze nirvana:
‘Zombies’ is a stunning double album – dream pop with vampire teeth, a velvet glove covering a steel fist. Its sonic qualities will be brilliant in the vinyl format. Out though Reptile Music, the limited vinyl edition has 12 tracks including singles “SOS”, “Lovers Breakdown, “Venusberg” and a previously unreleased mix of “Too Wild”.
You can pre-order the vinyl edition now through the link below, with a digital version available 23 July 2021 and physical copies shipping out on 20 August 2021:
Seasurfer is mostly the creation of Dirk Night who has worked in the past with a collective of musicians (including, in the past, Robyn Guthrie from Cocteau Twins) and Zombies is wholly his own doing – instruments and production. Knight says of Seasurfer:
…our sound is more a kind of darker noise pop today. Still with tons of effects and wall of sound, but driven by bass lines and electronic beats. For the first time I produced all instruments, guitars, synths, bass, drum programming and mixing by myself. And I was happy that songstress Apolonia let me get it all done and gave me her vocals, which worked so well with the sound and given inspiration.
Find out more here.
