(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): MY LONELY SEA

Sunday, 4 July 2021

MY LONELY SEA

Band: MY LONELY SEA
Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Metal / Screamo / Skramz / Black Metal / Blackgaze
Related artists: ?.
Country: Angarsk RUSSIA
Years Active: 2018-present
For fans of: Blue Noise, Old Soul, Somn, Autumn Of Crippled Children, Hope Drone, ['selvə], Show Me A Dinosaur, Underdark, Deafheaven, Respire, Nine Eleven and Spectral Wound.
Label(s): Polar Summer / Winter Sea Label / Makima Records / Anthrazit Records / Drowning Polar Bears / Sound Age Productions / Tagesreste

I discovered MY LONELY SEA because Alex from Polar Summer is a sweetie. When I ordered a few copies of the Shikari discography tape I was also sent a few label releases, one of which was 'The Lost Scraps' by MY LONELY SEA. I always listen to new tapes and put them to the side if I love them, and in the distro pile if I don't, and by golly did that tape move immediately to my personal collection.

The band started out playing atmospheric black metal aka screamo in the vein of Blue Noise, Somn, Autumn Of Crippled Children, Hope Drone and Show Me A Dinosaur, but opener "The Time Has Come" on 'The Lost Scraps' opens with a gorgeous post-hardcore/post-rock build and some whisper/screamed vocals until the drums release the onslaught at the two-minute mark. "The Lost Scraps, Pt. 1 (Worst Enemy)" hits even harder than the first, with more wretched screams, a doomier approach and wonderfully dense atmosphere. "The Lost Scraps, pt. 2 (Frozen Inside)" cuts the length from 8 to 4 and takes the melodic groove to the next level, combining some wonderful isolated plucks with heavy, driving screamo. Honestly that's a solid fucking jam, and is probably tied as my personal favourite alongside "Hope Dies Last". The somber, epic, jam really sinks its teeth in starting at 1:55 with a nice bridge before the devastating and cathartic midsection, which boasts some prodigious and imposing instrumentals, the booming guitar, in particular. Closer "This Is War!" is a hefty 11:22 so it should come as no surprise that it's a slow burn that has some Respire vibes.

In 2019 MY LONELY SEA released a split with Hell Is Other People which shows off two new tracks, "Calling" and "Face of Love". The former toys with heavier and softer elements while including vocals that are less whispered and more growled (and has a music video, embedded below) while the latter sounds a bit more like the first EP (in the vocal department, at least). Overall there's more of a Downfall Of Gaia vibe instead of Deafheaven and ['selvə] and much better production.

2020's 'Havoc' really sees the band taking a new step, not a direction, though. If opener "When the Darkness Falls" is any indication, you can hear the shift to even smoother post-everything passages and much heavier, more gutteral screams and growls. I find myself only weakly attached to this album, as I like my screams high and not in the death realm. It's a great album, I'm just a picky piece of shit.

This year, just last month actually, the band released a three-song EP titled 'Gloom'. This follows a similar trajectory sound-wise, but finally finds a cohesive balance between the early material and stuff that followed, making this my second favourite MY LONELY SEA release. The first and third behemoths sandwich the shorter tune, with "Gloomy Exodus" being my personal favourite due primarily to the chug-fest that wraps itself around the three-minute mark, harkening the early days of Pelican.

I noticed there is another release from their first year titled 'Till the End of the Road', if anyone has it please it post it in the comments because I'd love to hear it <3

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DISCOGRAPHY

2018 - Till the End of the Road cassetteEP (OMG DOES SOMEONE HAVE THIS?!?!)

2018 - The Lost Scraps cdr/cassetteEP (stream here)

2019 - Hell Is Other People split cdr (stream here)

2020 - Havoc cdLP (stream/buy here)

2021 - Gloom digitalEP (stream/buy here)

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(2018) MY LONELY SEA - "The Lost Scraps, pt. 2 (Frozen Inside)" (from 'The Lost Scraps')