Single Review: Seek A New Day

The latest offering from New Plymouth five-piece Laconic Zephyr, Seek A New Day, is an oddly mixed track.

The track is a slow builder that doesn’t quite pay off in the long run. Seek A New Day actively focuses on the vocals with the lead vocals and vocal harmonies stealing the spotlight. The harmonies vocals technically being more prominent than the lead vocals providing the lyrics. perhaps due to the heavily augmented sound of the lead vocals which causes them to blend in with the instruments during the chorus.

The chorus is where the track gains some balance, with the level of the guitars peaking for a few bars. the fuzz could really be turned down a bit, as the melody and rhythm of the guitars is lost among the static, and with their current tone they could be rep-laced by a keyboard.

Lead vocals, while I would love some greater clarity and projection, do have good melody. The vocal style during the chorus is somewhat similar to the style of Emma Cameron of Decades and Renée Brennan of Tadpole and swells during the chorus in a way that makes you want to sing along. But to do that effectively, we need some clarity in the lead vocals, dialing back the harmonies slightly, and removing a bit of the fuzz in the chorus to give it that extra little kick. 

Seek A New Day has a lot of potential, and holds up a good pace, but is let down by the levels in the mix, and their chosen tones, holding back during climax of the chorus.

Review written by Alex Moulton