3 Stars Seattle group Seapony has a solid foundation and uses simple arrangements to create Go With Me, an album stuffed with concise, conventional surf pop. Some may write Seapony off as a spin off of Best Coast, but the band breaches the poppy norm in favor of more vintage beach rock influences.
In late 2010 Seapony posted a handful of demos online and instantly began to attract fans and acclaim. UK label Double Denim heard “Dreaming” and released it as a 7-inch; since then, the band has signed a record deal with Hardly Art Records and opened shows for burgeoning bands including local hotshots The Love Language.
But for the most part, the hype that preceded the album isn’t necessarily warranted by what it actually delivers.
Still, there are moments of potential. The band uses a drum machine instead of an actual set, adding a retro ’80s pop vibe to songs such as “Always” and “I Really Do.” The typical overcast weather in the band’s Northwestern hometown has a profound effect on its take of sun-drenched pop, typical to California.
The band flies through twelve songs in 35 minutes, each with a signature series of guitar chords that are simple but nonetheless catchy and upbeat. Quantity may take the upper hand to quality because few songs match the catchiness of “Dreaming” or the svelte clanging of “Blue Star.”
The nostalgia-drizzled rock on Go With Me makes it a fitting album to harken the transition from spring to summer. Seapony’s jangle is less jingly and its glam is less glitzy than its predecessors — just right to fit snugly between standard and striking.
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