SeaFlea - "The Vendetta EP"

SeaFlea’s debut release, “The Vendetta EP,” tells the tale of a young man scorned by love. Over the course of just eight tracks we hear his tale of abandonment and loss; compelled to thoughts of violent redemption we ultimately see him find peace in himself, taking solace in six strings, writing anthems for the heartbroken.

“Fuck my last letter,” go the opening lines of “Me Against You.” The tone is set for an angst-filled love note, written but never sent. Vocals dance back and forth between Jeremy Bolin’s feminine cry and Jon Michael Rogers more soulful croon. As the record progresses, it becomes clear that Rogers’ voice is the more mature of the too. But the battling voices fit, echoing the way Bolin and Rogers’ guitars wrap themselves around one another.

“Apology Accepted” features big riffs – think Mettalica gone emo – and bigger drumming from Matt Crawford. “Diety” is the albums emotional climax – a diary-like confessional of wrongs and rights, self-pity and defeatism.

“The Vendetta EP” culminates in the hand-clapping, anthemic chant of “Inside – no better place to hide,” at the closing of “Sunday Spent.” SeaFlea’s best effort by far, “Sunday Spent” features Rogers taking full control of the vocal duties and, fittingly, the band is at it’s best here. Midway through the song, the guitars engage in argument, screaming at one another, as the lovelorn storyteller embraces a less violent eruption.

From a more technical standpoint, two things hurt “Vendetta.” The record seems to be covered in a sort of audio haze, resultant from a poor mastering job, which leaves the songs begging for better production. And in a similar vein, drum loops, samples, overdubs and other elements of studio chicanery litter the record. Fun stuff, no doubt, but not the sorts of things that can be reproduced live in most cases. It’s like the band got in the studio and said, “Oh boy, look at all these neat things we can do when we put our instruments down.” But hey – if that’s your thing.

For a debut, “The Vendetta EP” is a respectable effort that showcases a band quickly coming into its own, maturing as songwriters and working on developing a unique and intriguing sound. Pick this record up at SeaFlea’s next show, July 24th at Plush (7th and Red River), with Whitman and Ithaca, New York’s Speria.