Seapony: Setting the Mood For A Melancholy Day

Fuzzy, grainy indie-pop has seen a resurgence over the last year or two, with Slumberland Records leading the way, and new band Seapony is one of the bright stars of that movement. Only…uh…they’re not actually on Slumberland, for the trio calls Sub Pop subsidiary label Hardly Art their home. “It’s happened before,” says leader Danny Rowland. “If we didn’t have our label now, we’d probably be trying to get signed by them, because we share the same aesthetic.”

Embarrassing and slightly funny interviewer error aside, it is understandable why one might make that mistake. “We’re big fans of indie-pop, and we think it shows in what we do.” Indeed, for fans of Sarah Records, the aforementioned Slumberland, and the independent music scene in general from 1989 to 1993 will find much to love in the fuzzy, slightly melancholy debut, Go With Me. The music is simple in execution, an extremely easy-on-the-ears proposition that is as much a contemporary sound as it is a nod to bands and trends past.

“We enjoyed making this record, and it’s really been cool to see that people like what we do,” Rowland remarks. “Yet at the same time, we just play the music we like, but we’re not one of those types of bands that courts a sound simply because it’s trendy or whatever. Even if no label was interested in us, we would still get in the garage and make something happen, and just put it up on Bandcamp or the internet, and be happy with those who gravitate towards it.

“Ian (Brewer, bass player) and Jen (Weidl, vocalist) and I –we make no pretense about being the best musicians or singers, but we know each other’s abilities and can utilize those to what we think is the best extent we can.”

Such modesty may remind of Bob Wratten, erstwhile leader of The Field Mice — a band whose influence can definitely be heard throughout Go With Me. “I like the image that his music always evokes,” Rowland says. “Gray, overcast, a little drizzly, a little bit on the cold side, with no trace of sun in sight, and a little bit of heartbreak or romantic angst underneath all that. His records were good at setting a mood. If anything, that’s what I think we want Seapony to be—the soundtrack to a melancholy day.”

Photo: Angel Ceballos