Easter Island and the synchronous magic of "Sea Change" (Official Video)

 

"strange"

I have an artistic weakness, my Achilles heal, that involves Wes Anderson or maybe more accurately his world or artistic visions. You see, if a song feels like it would perfectly fit Anderson's aserbic filmic view then I am drawn to it. Obviously, this entanglement is a super personal thing. I have to interpret a song as being in his films based on my perception of both separate worlds (so to speak). It is difficult to explain but magical... sort of like some of Anderson's askew take on things. When I heard "Sea Change" by Athens, Georgia based Easter Island I felt that kind of synchronous magic. Maybe it is the dreamy landscape that the band creates or a slight section of the downturned prog that reminds me a wee bit of a slowed down "Happy Jack" (The Who), or the beautifully tender vox, or the percussive sounds that reminds me of like a submarine blip. There are other illusionary tones that made me think of Modest Mouse or Man Man or the Kinks or XTC. All of it stirring up a sense of whimsy, a kind of detached unease, an orbital askew ellipse of lyrical emotions. 

Insight from the band:

"This is the first song written for the new record and the first song I brought to Ryan when we began demos for the album in Alpharetta. The barebones of it were written in Japan in 2014 following the tragic passing of Jake and Isaac Gee's father, Paul. I flew back from Japan and made a detour to the gulf coast of Florida to play music for the funeral and spend some time with the brothers Gee and their wonderful families. The lyrics are about that time. And the title of the album comes from those lyrics as well." - Ethan Payne

Sea Change is from Easter Island's 2020 album "Take All The Time You Think You Need".

-Robb Donker Curtius

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eimusic · 05 - Sea Change

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Formed in Athens, GA, Easter Island is an ambient dream-pop act fronted by brothers Ethan and Asher Payne (guitar and keys) and Ryan Monahan (guitar). Their sound has been likened to Explosions in The Sky, My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, Pedro the Lion, and more. The band’s falsetto vocals and panoramic guitars are countered by its powerful rhythm section – John Swint (drums), and Justin Ellis (bass) add gravity to an otherwise weightless sound.

Throughout Easter Island’s career the band has had the opportunity to share the stage with David Bazan, Cindy Wilson (of The B52s), The Low Anthem, Bully, Wild Nothing, White Rabbits, Valley Maker, and more. The band’s debut record Frightened (2012), led to a number of television syncs, including ABC’s “Off The Map”, MTV’s “Awkward”, and a recent live appearance on CW’s Dynasty which aired in 2019.

The past six years have seen the band working in various studios all over the country on their new record while touring the US at large, including appearances at SXSW, CMJ, Treefort, Underground Music Showcase, Secret Stages, and Athfest in their hometown of Athens. They traveled as far as Japan to work on new material and to film the music video for the single, “Island Nation”, which was premiered by Paste Magazine. The band’s follow-up single, “Always Room For Another”, premiered on Billboard in fall 2018. In 2020 the band found itself spread out among five different cities and so they leaned into the separation and produced five music videos - featuring each member in their respective city.

Produced and engineered by Ryan Monahan, the songs received additional engineering from Mike Albanese at Espresso Machine Recording and mastering from Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media in Athens, GA. The new record draws on influences ranging from Sufjan Stevens and Max Richter, to The Never Ending Story. The band completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in early 2020 and will release their sophomore LP, Take All The Time You Think You Need, in December, 2020.

Easter Island, indie rock, alternative pop, dream pop, divergent pop, art rock, "Sea Change", whimsy, surreal, Wes Anderson, album "Take All The Time You Think You Need", synchronous magic