The ice picks keep me to the ground
Keeps my mind on track for as while
The hard part was telling a lie
It bears down on my head
But I tried
For once
But I tried, tried too much
The flood, it’s sweeps
Through the building
Drags me in whole
Sliced into pieces
Against the rocks
Against the rocks
And I tried for once
Once
Once was enough
Again
Again
Again
Again, as I find myself in what once my
Life, the world begins to spin for me
Again, your world is crumbling right beneath your
Feet,
Your world is crumbling right beneath your, world is crumbling right beneath your feet
Senica’s debut recording ‘Passing Tide’ is something of a coming-of-age Mini-LP. It’s a journey, thematically and melodically, with a jangling sonic energy that's beautiful, jagged, and at times transcendent. There’s a melancholy that is captured in these songs that might only come from a band emerging from the haze of adolescence, a band who have put their all into creating a classic EP bursting with an energy that hasn’t been heard in Christchurch bands for years.
‘Passing Tide’ balances the classic jangle sound of Aotearoa with a modern take on the shoegazing sonic rock of bands like Straitjacket Fits, and fits within the musical landscape of classic bands from Christchurch. But this is no nostalgia trip, and the band cites Wilco and Brian Jonestown Massacre as bands that have supplied inspiration.
The EP feels more like a mini album, with a beginning, middle and end, starting with angst and ending with calm. Now Crystalline, the first track, has singer Theo Tudor worried that the decisions he was making were set in stone, or crystalline, for the rest of his life. Triskeles, the centrepiece of the EP is a lightly psychedelic indie rock number influenced by Radiohead with a pensive, melancholic mood and lyrics that suggest regret for lying, and seeing consequences in others. The song recalls chaotic scenes of 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', with reality crumbling away. The title itself refers to a Triskeleon, which has cosmic implications. Under their feet is a breakup song, with a melody that Theo came up with at the age of 16 during a holiday in Bali. The EP’s final track, ‘Wide Awake’, is a gentle closer, emerging from the turmoil with an uplifting tempo and piano notes ringing like wind chimes in a breeze.
They’re not a band in it for money, like many great Christchurch bands. The band are high school mates, in their late teens and early twenties. There’s some family ties of note - Jai and Theo are cousins, drummer Jesse Stevens’ brother De Stevens (Marlin’s Dreaming) recorded and provided some further instrumentation on the recording, and their sister Jessica painted the cover. Jai and Theo have family in some notable Gen X bands from the city and have a healthy competition “to write the best melodies” which are then judged by the rest of the band. Bass and piano duties are picked up by Oscar Hartley, who learned to play bass for the band. You get the feeling that these guys are great friends, have a healthy way of working and will be a band that will deliver classic music in years to come.
This EP will undoubtedly make many of this year’s best-of lists, and leave you wanting to know what’s around the corner for them.
credits
released November 16, 2022
Theo Tudor - guitar, vocals
Jai Tudor-Oakley - guitar, vocals
Oscar Hartley - bass
Jesse Stevens - drums
De Stevens - recording/production/mastering, additional instrumentation
Jessica Stevens - artwork
I love what i've Heard! The Vibe Y'Know. Everything by Jim smells like Flowers. Y'know? Just played these first two tracks to the: Chickens, Cows, dog, Ducks and the Hawks. They all loved it. jared kelly
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