ON OUR RADAR: SEAFARERS
Seafarers discusses their latest album Another State in today’s On Our Radar!
INTRODUCE YOURSELF!
My name is Matthew Herd and I am the songwriter and saxophone player in Seafarers. We are a six- piece band from London with influences from indie music, folk, and jazz.
WHAT’S YOUR ORIGIN STORY?
We met through the London jazz scene, some of us played in bands, or were at music college together. I began tentatively writing songs in my mid-twenties as a passion project outside of my life as a musician, some of which found their way onto our first album in 2018 (Orlando). Songwriting brought me new connections with other artists, and I’ve since enjoyed living a double life as a saxophone player and writer.
WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC?
My grandfather’s piano playing. He was a brilliant artist by trade, but played jazz piano in his spare time. I remember watching him play and feeling so jealous of the freedom he had, and the sounds he could get out the piano.
DOES THE MUSIC YOU MAKE DIFFER TO THE MUSIC YOU ENJOY AS A FAN? IF SO, HOW?
In some ways. I think I’m attracted to and envious of things that I can’t do, so I’m always drawn to music that is made in a way that’s unfamiliar to me. I love listening to a lot of the artists associated with the hyper-pop movement, or electronic music, or post punk bands, because it’s so different to what I know. So much of life as a songwriter revolves around the guitar, which I don’t play, and I’m always slightly conscious of being an outsider. But maybe it’s good to have points of difference.
FOR READERS WHO HAVEN’T HEARD OF YOU BEFORE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
We have been described as “chamber pop”, which I like (despite not really knowing what it means). Our music is based around pop-ish/country-ish/indie-ish songwriting, and there’s a huge ‘80s influence on this new record.
Your third album, Another State, is OUT NOW! Which song WERE you most excited for your listeners to hear?
There’s an apocalyptic song about technology and religion called ‘Televangelists’, and another about three school friends called ‘Melissa’.
Each song tells a different story, through adulthood’s endless anxieties, existential thoughts and the rollercoasters of relationships. Is there a particular story or song you think your fans will relate to the most?
I think there’s a certain universality to good old-fashioned unrequited love, it seems to be one of history’s favourite topics. So, there’s a country-influenced power ballad halfway through the album called ‘Everything I’d Do (to Get a Hold on You).’
What made you choose ‘Bedwetters’ as the opening track?
I felt the opening line was a good setup for some of the themes that recur across the album,
“You told me ‘hey kid, don’t sweat it / I’ve been wetting the bedsheets all my life”
It’s also one of the few hopeful songs with a certain ridiculousness to it which felt like a nice place to start from.
‘Tiny Itch’ stands out instantly with the switch up of vocal style – talk us through this song! What’s the story? Favourite lyrics?
I wrote ‘Tiny Itch’ a couple summers ago as a kind of patchwork quilt of horrible images. I have heaps of fun when writing wordy, fast paced songs and ‘Tiny Itch’ was one of the earlier ones. It began as a story about gaslighting, and the cyclical nature that these relationships can adopt (like an itch!)
As for the lyrics, I like the insistency of the last verse, particularly on
“Racing bikes you ripped your jeans / Chasing police cars through the streets / To the haunted house on the haunted hill /With the haunted children at the windowsill"
What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m about to record my first solo album in a couple of weeks, which I hope won’t take too long before release. I’ve been playing and singing my own songs more regularly over the past couple of years, and am enjoying the freedom that gives me.
Hopefully we’ll have some live Seafarers dates to announce in early 2025!
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