Track By Tracks: Sea Sleeper - Nostophobia (2020)

1. Salt:

 

This is classic Sea Sleeper subject material, the fear of an enticing, beckoning sea as it attempts to beguile yet another victim. This is the first song we started working on as Sea Sleeper and it's gone through a ton of revisions but the core structure and feel has been there from the beginning. It's a fun, groovy, mid tempo chugger with some nice thrash for good measure. A perfect song to drown to. 

2. Old Guard:

 

Old Guard is our first single, a deceptively simple ditty that alternates between low-end pummeling and weirdly warm chords. This song feels to us the most lovecraftian or ancient and ghastly of our songs, like the uncovering of some unholy thing. We also think this will be a great addition to our live set. 

3. Coffin Salesman:

Coffin Salesman is about a day in the life of a desperate and unscrupulous shill, gleefully taking advantage of the most vulnerable mark imaginable, a grieving mother. The lyrics and music are deadly sarcastic and grim but the song swings with a celebratory pulse and vigor.

 

4. Mountain Carver:

Mountain carver is equal parts prog-rock warmth and no frills death-groove. The longest song on the album at over eight minutes, Mountain Carver is a journey through the trials of an explorer who must choose correctly between two caves. Does he choose correctly? We don't know. 

4. George Van Tassel:

Our guitar player and lead vocalist was visited by beings from another planet late last year. They insisted he write a song about all that they taught him of the nature of time and truth and name it after some weird guy who gave an unhinged interview in the 1960's. The atmosphere of this song feels dangerous, otherworldly and remains off-kilter throughout. If you believe time is only two dimensions, this is not the song for you. 

5. Nostophobia:

Nostophobia is the fear of returning to the familiar, a kind of reverse nostalgia. Ironically, once the song finds a sweet spot of uncomfortable bass notes it settles down in that muck and proceeds to crescendo over a matter of minutes. Featuring vicious tremolo riffs and wailing guitar, this is by far the darkest and most sinister song on the record. 

6. Far More Than Sustenance Now:

FMTSN is all about what a person will do once they find something they feel they need. Whether it's a drug, an experience, a rare object or even a particularly choice cut of meat, what won't a person do to get what they need? Be wary when someone you love pulls you towards the fire. Featuring guest vocals and lots of emotional shifts, this is perhaps our strangest and most surprising song. 

7. Low:

Okay, I lied, this is the strangest song on the album. A mad scientist falls victim to his own experiments, or something like that. This song is loosely inspired by a never recorded song from our first musical project together, almost 10 years ago now. This song taps, twists, curls, whines, grinds and juts out at angles like newly discovered tentacles poking impudently out of our skin.