Seapony – Falling

Falling Asleep

Dropping into the dreamier side of the pop spectrum, the Twee-ish group, Seapony, release Falling, a fun, summery collection of songs. Of course, bands like Asobi Seksu and Best Coast have perfected the whispery female vocals over loud guitars sound over the past decade, but Seapony doesn’t let that get in the way of their music.

“Outside,” not only echos remnants of Cults’ “Go Outside,” but also sounds like it. The only difference is a lacking sense of urgency, with overall boredom somewhat creeping into Jen Weidl’s voice. But the sense of longing is still intact. Perhaps the reverb isn’t really doing the song favors.

“Be Alone” is a less fuzzy, but even cuddlier track than “Outside.” It attempts to hug you with the cute, lo-fi drums, plucked guitars and Weidl’s calming demeanor. By now, it sounds like Seapony’s tracks are more or less where the band feels like being. Whether it’s playing outside or inside listening to records, somehow they just can’t make up their minds. “Sunlight” included the ever-popular Phil Spector drum beat (heard in the beginning of The Ronette’s “Be My Baby), which is featured in most dream pop/shoegaze acts. “Sunlight” manages to capture that ’60s pop essence, much like The Jesus and Mary Chain did with “Just Like Honey” many years ago.

It feels like Seapony doesn’t intend on touching on the darker side. With Wavves and Best Coast crooning about having fun and teenage-like longing, it wouldn’t hurt for a similar band to really reach for something further, more gut-wrenching than going out on a summer day. However, the melodies and pop sensibility are what keeps Falling from falling apart and keeping listeners chill in the summer sun.