Guildford Pop Rock Newcomers Seasonal are pleased to announce their debut: 5 track EP ‘Bloom’, set for self-release on 19th May. With the title chosen to represent the new beginning for the quartet, vocalist/bassist Matt Truseler gives an insight into it’s content: “Lyrically we take a very honest approach. The songs on this EP are all about personal experiences from our lives and feelings. We wanted to avoid having songs with generic lyrics that although anyone could relate to, do not have a personal connection to us: a balance between, what is relatable for the listener, without losing the meaning of each track for us.” The band are now also streaming lead single ‘Certainty’ here, with Truseler saying: “The song is about the balance in a relationship where compromise may no longer be an option, but you keep going back for more; the realisation that it isn't really working and having to be the person to bring up the flaws and break it off. It’s a track that shows a lot of the dynamic in our sound, and the first on the EP, so works well as a stepping off point.”
With a line-up completed by guitarists Max O'Neill and Alex Coombes and drummer Alex Tickner, Seasonal formed as trio in 2016, later recruiting Alex on the strength of demos. With the line-up complete they pushed on with writing more material, but agreed that “something was not quite selling us”. Continuing to experiment, a change of tuning and the writing of debut track ‘Sevens’ made for a winning combo and from this process their moniker was plucked: “The name of the band really just came from the change in the attitude and way we approached the project, like a change in the seasons,” summaries Truseler.
Once happy with their repetoire, 9 months had passed and the band headed into the studio with the intention of recording just one track with Oz Craggs at Hidden Track in Folkestone. However, upon hearing the first mix, they were inspired to dive in, going on to lay down all of the tracks that became ‘Bloom’. “Oz is really easy to work with and was completely on the same page about how we wanted to sound and the effort he puts in to making that happen is awesome. We really took our time writing this record and we couldn’t be happier with how it came out”, the band enthuse.
The result is an emotionally weathered offering of heartfelt pop rock, reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World, Deaf Havana and Taking Back Sunday. Noting influences from both the ‘old’ and the ‘new’, they feel the acts they adore have shaped their sound, but that they offer something different: “Surrey has a really diverse scene with some amazingly talented bands of many different genres. But we don’t feel that many bands around here, or the UK, are doing the same thing as us at the moment; whether they are a bit more low-fi or balls out pop punk. We think our sound can appeal to fans of many different genres, but we are definitely within a scene still, just looking to bring something a bit different.” Now with their first show under their belts, a date supporting Seaway in London, the band are looking to blossom on the road: “It was a great reintroduction to playing live music for all of us, and definitely lit a fire. We are looking forward to getting out and playing these songs to as many people as possible.”
- Seasonal self-release ‘Bloom’ digitally on 19/05/17
- Bloom Tracklisting: 1. Certainty | 2. Headphones | 3. These Games | 4.Ranger | 5. Homeward