Interview: Seaside

Byron Bay-based indie-rock quartet SEASIDE have just unveiled their dreamy and dark new single ‘Shame’ – produced by the band themselves and mixed by Paul Pilsneniks (The Mars Volta, Boy & Bear, Silverchair). We sat down with them recently to find out what’s behind the new track, touring and beaches.

Tell us what your new track ‘Shame’ is about?

’Shame’ is about the people in power not listening to what we really need as a society and turning a blind eye when we need them most. It is a message that if we stand together, we are able to create a positive change.

What’s Seaside’s favourite thing about touring?

We all like hanging out, so going on tour is great because we get to travel and check out new places together, we also make some pretty amazing new friends that we may not have been able to meet otherwise. Darcy likes all the different places to have cocktails.

Who are your biggest inspirations?

The Cure would come off everyone’s tongue pretty quickly I think if I went around the band and asked. I think that’s our most common similarity for inspiration. Any band that has managed to develop their own recognisable sound and create timeless music are bands we are inspired by.

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Tell us about your process when producing ‘Shame’.

Froggy brought the song in to rehearsal one night when we were exploring the darker, grittier tones and chords for Seaside. There was this feeling of relentlessness in the track I think everyone liked. Once the song starts, it doesn’t stop until it’s over. We liked the intensity of the track and thought it was a great start to honing in this new wave of music for us.

Darcy locked herself alone in our home studio one day, got drunk and came out with the lyrics. If you’ve ever seen the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Charlie meme, it kind of looked like that.

When we went into the studio to record it, we wanted to capture the thickness and groove of the songs core while retaining the raw and lively sounds we felt in rehearsal.

We give the bass a lot of fuzz to dirty the track up without having distorting frequencies getting in the way of the vocals. I think we like having the guitar deeper receded and a thick bass sound around it. It works well with Darcy’s voice.

What are your favourite Seaside’s around Australia?

We are pretty spoilt for choice living in Byron, but probably-
– Cozy Corner (Tallows).
– The entirety of Rottnest Island.
– Catherine Hill Bay (there are some amazing rock pools around there).