By Orla Brady
Glasgow-based duo Felix Slavin and Jen O’Brien, otherwise known as Seafern, released their debut single The Seed Beneath the Snow back in April 2019. The track made Scotland’s tune of the week on Indie Rocks radio and was even included in the trailer for ‘The Sequel: What Will Follow Our Troubled Civilisation?’ – a documentary film directed by the BAFTA award winner Peter Armstrong. Certainly a strong and promising start to their career.
We now have the opportunity to hear more from the band with their new EP Subsidence. The selection of tracks featured on the EP prove that the successes that the duo experienced last year will undoubtedly continue into this year.
We begin with Dust a haunting folk track, that consists of tender, hypnotic guitar riffs and enchanting, high pitched vocals courtesy of O’Brien. The music remains calm and mesmeric throughout, carrying the harmonic vocals which float atop.
With the following track Mercury, the EPshifts gears into a gritty rock track, which displays prominent bass guitar and drums. In this song, the vocals travel beneath the steady beats and rhythms – a direct contrast to the structure of the previous track where the vocals remained the focus of the song. This means that, whilst listening to Mercury we are required to listen closely in order to appreciate and unpack the vocals and lyrics.
We return to Seafern’s acoustic style with the title track Subsidence. Although the track commences with intricate acoustic guitar and O’Brien’s staple vocals, which bring a traditional folk style to each song, the addition of drum beats adds more depth to the structure and sound. Although a similar style to Dust, this track is not as delicate and presents a darker side to Seafern’s song writing.
The EP concludes with Seafern’s debut single The Seed Beneath the Snow, and Jesse. Both tracks conclude the EP by showcasing both Slavin and O’Brien’s admirable musical talent and their ability to create captivating and authentic songs.
Judging by the standard of Subsidence, it will not be long until Seafern are recognised by many as one of the best up and coming bands in the Scottish music scene, so I recommend you keep an eye out for them.
Facebook – @SeafernMusic
Twitter – @SeafernMusic
The Music Files 