The Seas

"The Seas’ cover all bases on their self-titled EP, throwing in various quirky elements to differentiate from everything else that’s out there. The four tracks create a medley of bright and bouncy psychedelic pop with short and choppy electronic rock to create music that requires no definition.

'Headless Saint' leads listeners to believe that the track is the generic, mainstream rock the industry tends to bombard airwaves with. Such expectations are turned upside down upon singer Nurk’s first lyrics. His rich vocals and daring usage of high pitches are perfection.

The addictive 'Rita Lee' was impossible to get out of my head, with Nurk’s unforgettable plea, 'Won’t You Come and Save My American Soul?' Its witty lyrics and infectious instrumentals make the track memorable; it could easily dominate alternative radio.

Vocals on 'Little Girl' are an androgynous delight. Not only are they ambiguous, but the lyrics are equally thought provoking and enticing. Whimsical instruments and backing vocals compliment each other well and carry the track.

The unpretentious and edgy band has only begun to exhibit what it can do. I was [sic] left me yearning for more. (A)" - Caprice Padilla

"The music, 'psychedelic art-pop for the people,' gains instant appeal with listeners by combining the everyday elements and energy of pop with an intellectual and unconventional style...As mysterious as the sea itself, the band's music makes a deep connection with listeners." - June 22, 2007

"...[T]he Seas...falsetto faux funk/psychedelia sounds like Interpol filtered through Nuggets. Good stuff."
- Jonanna Widner, June 28, 2007

"It's refreshing to hear a group having such fun, starting with Nurk's absurdly ricochet vocals, P. Wayne's playfully omnivorous guitar and Schmengus' locomotive percussion. They claim psychedelia, garage and punk Brazilian rock among their effects, but we're happy to call them pure, undiluted pop." - Michael Barnes, January 19, 2007

"You know those too-cool-for-school indie bands that never smile in their magazine spreads? The Seas are their polar opposite. A very refreshing sound in the underground world, The Seas, taking cues from the Flaming Lips and the Talking Heads, offer bright, happy dance-alongs with an artsy, psychpop approach." - January/February 2007

"Boasting two members from the Shim Shams, the Seas are familiar with crafting ridiculously addictive pop tunes and show off the skill on their debut self-titled EP. The group caught our attention with their impressive live shows – frontman Nurk carries himself with a sexy, flamboyant swagger that bounces somewhere between Mick Jagger and Brandon Flowers and is matched by the swings of his free-ranging vocals. Songs like 'Rita Lee' burst with old-school garage energy and touches of new wave rock, while 'Little Girl' brilliantly purrs out enough sexually-ambiguous energy to make Bowie blush. It’s a sound you could drown in - if you weren’t already bobbing so much." - January 15, 2007

"Austin's The Seas plays nervy art-pop that strives for conventionality through unconventional means, though thankfully its music doesn't suffer from its highbrow philosophical underpinnings. In fact, there's a real populist streak running through The Seas' self-released demo. The four songs blend straight-up garage rock with The Pixies' fractured take on pop, sideswiped by the quavering, Bryan Ferry-meets-David-Byrne vocals of Nurk (formerly of beat-pop combo The Shim Shams) and the leftfield guitar heroics of Reverend P. Wayne (formerly of much-missed post-punkers The Innocent). The band's aspirations--surrealist, radio-friendly music--may have the unfortunate whiff of pretension, but the songs are undeniably addictive." - Sean O'Neal, December 2006

The Seas, Let’s Fake It
That title is no joke: Bryan Ferry-esque nervous art rock, New Romantic ’80s pop, shaky psychedelia—all get the old college try. You could have fooled us.
- The Onion AV Club

Self-praised as classically un-hip yet still stylish, The Seas debut full length, Let’s Fake It, is full of anti-mainstream pop and is, despite what the band themselves says, cool. The album is hard to put a finger on, built upon frontman Nurk’s jumpy croon and LaRue’s female harmonies. The Seas move so quickly through moods of experimental pop, psych-rock, elegant melody, and 80s post-punk that it sounds as if you went into the future and listened to one of their greatest hits compilations.

For instance, “Fallen Devil” makes for a decidedly sunny pop song that strolls through melancholy verses and bursting into Byrne and Weymouth influenced refrain (“You make me leave heaven and happy/ you make me feel like a fallen devil”). On the other end of the spectrum is “Don’t Say Anything,” an unsuspecting sleepy, psych-rock ballad accompanied by punchy metronomic drums. The Seas allow a kind of split personality in Let’s Fake It that keeps things interesting and does wonders for the album’s shelf life.

They conjure up a feel of a band incognito — either decidedly shifty in musical taste or just confused. But, for every direction their music goes, the artistic well of the Seas deepens. Songs like “W.I.P” and “Talk to Me” show the quartet steering away from their more jovial inclinations and lend to other, solemn redemptive personas. Even though the band sings about things like post-adolescent sex and romantic mysticism, they still, deep down, have a tarnished ego. “Talk to me talk to me/ no don’t call your lover,” is sung in desperate falsetto over bass-heavy blues and places the dot of insecurity on the Seas own insecure and unassuming nature.

The influences on the Seas are vast and it has worked in their favor to produce an honest and eclectic release that sails so easily across genres, it’s something you have to hear to believe.

- Austin Sound

"The Seas play what they call 'psychedelic art-pop for the people.' ...[T]he Austin quartet defies categories and offers musical surprises with selections such as 'Headless Saint' and 'Medicated.'" (April 2007) - MySA.com