Sea Girls eagerly anticipated new album Midnight Butterflies has just dropped.
Sea Girls are a British indie rock band formed in 2015. Upon discovering that their name came from a misheard Nick Cave lyric, I decided they were my kind of people and gave them a listen. They’ve now risen to one of my top played artists according to Spotify.
The album opens with the title track, Midnight Butterflies, a melodic tune, with a driving drum beat – very typical of this band’s style and a strong opener to a great album. It’s followed by the high energy and already popular, “I Want You To Know Me” before falling into songs such as the more laid back and, at times, almost ethereal “Horror Movies” and the piano backed “Scream and Shout”.
The band are clearly happy to be more experimental this time around and you can feel the more drastic changes in song structure and composition that reflect the emotions of the tracks. It is all beautifully done, and the songs manage to maintain the Sea Girls’ charm whilst also showing the growth of the band.
There are several things that make Sea Girls stand out from most young indie bands. One is their ability to combine their relatable, story telling lyrics with the catchiest hooks and choruses ever, and this album is no exception. Whether it’s “City lights in her eyes…”, “mate, weekend and workdays” or “We’re two young strangers trying to survive…” I guarantee you’ll be singing along to their tunes in no time.
While Sea Girls vibe is typically high energy, upbeat, pop-indie, they’re not scared to strip this back at times. This is done to great effect in moments such as in ‘I Want You To Know Me’ where lead singer Henry Camamile’s voice is left to carry the song into the chorus proper and for me, knowing how difficult it is to do that well, it is one thing that makes Sea Girls unique. Later in the album, songs such as latest single ‘Polly’ or album closer ‘After Hours’ show an overall softer side to the band for the most part, demonstrating a depth and subtlety in musicality rarely seen from bands in the genre, especially at this stage in their career.
The confidence of the band is apparent on this album. Having had the pleasure of seeing Sea Girls live earlier this year, they know these new songs (Weekends and Workday, Young Strangers) can blend seamlessly with their existing catalogue, they’ve seen crowds go off to “I Want You To Know Me” and it shows. A rare stand out in an often oversaturated market, their self assuredness is well founded and Sea Girls success is truly deserved!
If those of you in Europe only make time to see one band this summer, make sure it’s this one!
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2IRQGgPLBObcTHu1PW2hOq?si=_dt_I6p1TCSN-EXjnlspMA
Get the album here: https://store.seagirls.net/