Seaway – Colour Blind

With the release of their second full-length, Seaway is attempting to build upon the momentum they found with the recent release of their EP and some high profile tours in the U.S. and overseas with other rapidly rising bands on the scene, including fellow pop punkers, Neck Deep. Their debut, Hoser, was a tidy collection of catchy anthems with frustratingly poor production, but their EP All in My Head showed exceptional growth and gave insight to their potential. While Canadian bands have traditionally struggled to break through outside of the country, the increased exposure given to the band with their signing to Pure Noise Records in the U.S. coupled with relentless touring over the past couple of years has helped to launch the group to the forefront of the modern pop punk scene.

On their second full-length, the guys expand their sound in subtle ways, while still remaining true to their pop punk roots. There are echoes of emo that starts off lead track “Slam.”  The decision to lead with this song shows that they are willing to take chances with their sound, which is important. Too many bands in the genre stagnate early in their career and keep reproducing the same songs as if they were the pop punk AC/DC, which is something we could all do without. There are straightforward pop punk songs that fans of their debut will love, full of catchy choruses and teenage angst, but there is more variation as a whole. Dual vocalists add depth to the sound. Comparisons to New Found Glory are especially relevant when listening to the whiny vocals of Patrick Carleton , but the gravel-throated singing of Ryan Locke prevents them from being a knockoff like many of their peers, adding a Living With Lions vibe to some songs, which is as high of a compliment as can be given to a modern pop punk band. 

The songs still have a youthful energy that fans will expect from the band who made the hilariously corny Seaboiz video, but despite the obvious similarity of that video to Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” they reign in the juvenile humour and skip the idiotic dick jokes. The lyrics are occasionally a little cringeworthy, such as “I’ve got this funny feeling that you’ve got this funny feeling” (Best Mistake) or “So maybe I’m a freak, but you freak me out” (Freak). Overall, though, the guys deftly express the ups and downs of growing up. On “Stubborn Love,” the guys tackle a broken heart with plenty of melody, singing “Cause tonight your hair falls around your ears and it makes me want to stay, but I’m keeping at a distance for all the decisions that I’ve made” before the protagonist quietly slips out the back door. The song has a nostalgic tone that looks at both sides of a breakup, accepting that it is over while feelings still linger. It is one of the points where the band show how far they have come from the goofy songs on Hoser. They look at relationships from a different perspective on “Airhead” discussing a common problem for touring musicians as the guys trade off lines like “Being lonely is different than being alone, Like when you call and nobody picks up the phone.” It has a hopeful tone, showing some emotional maturity, as he admits to occasionally being a “fucking airhead” which shows how much the person the song is directed at loves and accepts him, faults and all. Those who fell in love with the band recently will be happy to hear “Growing Stale” which sounds very similar to “Your Best Friend.” The similarity is intentional, as the guys reprise the line “don’t you go crying now,” tying the tracks together. On “Day She Left,” Locke’s rough-edged vocals really stand out, as the band picks up the tempo for their strongest track on the album. Carleton channels Patrick Stump with his smooth vocals, which nicely contrast Locke’s.

In a very short career, Seaway has managed to grow as musicians efficiently. There is no denying that Colour Blind is a huge leap forward from Hoser, but the guys still manage to retain their youthful energy. It is refreshing to see a Canadian group getting recognition down South and overseas. Hopefully, this will open the doors for some of our other high-quality bands. For now, it is nice to see someone filling the void that Living With Lions left when they slowed down.