Seablite is a four-piece pop band from San Francisco inspired by 80s/90s indie and shoegaze. Seablite was formed in 2016 when Lauren Matsui (vocals / guitar) and Galine Tumasyan (vocals / bass) bonded over a mutual appreciation of early 90’s Britpop and UK underground music. The pair began writing songs and soon after Jen Mundy (ex-Wax Idols) joined on second guitar and Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) would eventually join on drums. They have released an LP (2019’s Grass Stains and Novocaine) and 7″ single (Breadcrumbs c/w Ink Bleeds) via Emotional Response Records and a 10″ EP (High-Rise Mannequins – recorded and produced by Alicia Vanden Heuvel of the Aislers Set) in conjunction with Spain’s Meritorio Records. The new album, recorded over the summer of 2022 and mastered by Mark Gardener of Ride, contains twelve dreamy pop tracks showcasing the group’s continued growth and maturity and marks a strong progression from their debut album. Lemon Lights is out tomorrow, September 29th, on Mt.St.Mtn.

What They Say: “The process of naming the band was very long; we went through lots of variations. One of the names we considered was Brite (which of course was taken), then Lauren found seablite somewhere on the internet. We all liked how it sounded as a word (even though it doesn’t have much of a meaning behind it) so that was the band name.”

Their Mixtape:

Jen Mundy:

Rowland S. Howard – Autoluminescent

This song has been on heavy rotation for the past week. A friend of mine, a fellow Rowland enthusiast, is covering this song for his music project and he asked me to play guitar on it. I was incredibly honored to collaborate with him, as Rowland is one of my favorite guitarists. He was so phenomenal and unhinged! The whole “Teenage Snuff Film” album is brilliant and this is one of my favorite tracks. I love this stripped down, gentler side of him.

Jonathan Bree – We’ll All Be Forgotten 

In our modern world where burnout and hustle culture have become the norm, this song deeply resonates with me. To me, it serves as a reminder to slow down and “take care of yourself.” I also find his voice very soothing and comforting. I was first introduced to Jonathan’s music through a friend a few years ago and have been completely enamored with him ever since. His new album “Pre-Code Hollywood” is excellent. He also puts on an amazing live show; I saw him play at Rickshaw Stop in 2019 and he was fantastic! I’m looking forward to seeing him again in Oakland this October!

Lauren Matsui:

Helen – Dying All The Time (Kranky, 2015)

I’m a big Grouper fan, so when I heard that Liz Harris had a shoegaze / dream-pop band, I knew I was going to love it.  The entire album, The Original Faces is amazing, Dying All the Time is my favorite song on the record. The production, vocals and ripping bass and drums are superb!  The production reminds me of being in a cave by the beach.  I’m still bummed I missed them when they played SF last year!

Nothing Natural – Ride (Dandy Boy Records, 2023)

Nothing Natural are one of my favorite local bands on one of my favorite local labels, Dandy Boy!  They balance heavy and airy perfectly. I love the combination of Austin and Kristen’s vocals on this track! This song gets stuck in my head all the time.

 

Galine Tumasyan:

My song choices are 2 songs that provided me with the fantasy shelter during the grim times of the lockdown. They also were highly inspiring for some songs on our latest album. One is a shoegaze classic and the other is a dance classic. I’ve always felt that these two genres can exist in the same space. Both create a beautiful atmospheric world, where you can lose yourself in the lovely layers of sound.

Ride – Cool Your Boots

This song is probably my favorite ride song. The best part of the song for me is the outro, where the band really drives the melody through to ensure it stays in your head forever, and just when you lose yourself in it, the drums do this amazing unexpected thing and go back and forth between the beats. I remember it blew my mind when I saw them play it live!

Opus III- It’s a Fine Day

A dance classic that got me through many grey days in the post-soviet 90’s and later got re-discovered again through the pandemic. Anytime this tune comes on now, you know that Lauren and I will be all over that dance floor! This song is pure pop goodness and forever an inspiration. 

Andy Pastalaniec:

I wanted to mention a couple of our favorite current bands, who happen to be playing our LP release show on September 29!

Mo Dotti – Glow in the Dark (Smoking Room, 2020)

Mo Dotti are a jangly, shoegazey, dreampop band from Los Angeles. Glow in the Dark is the first song on their first ep that came out in 2020. I’m not exaggerating when I say I think this is one of the best songs from the last decade or so, it’s a total classic. Everything is just right from the drums, gliding guitars, the melodic interplay of the vocal melody, bass, and that incredible jangly guitar riff that runs through the song. Total pop perfection! One of those rare tracks that you just wanna hit repeat and listen to over and over again. Mo Dotti have released two eps, the Blurring ep in 2020 and Guided Imagery in 2022 on tape/cd formats, both sold out. They’re being compiled for an upcoming 12″ release that you should definitely check out!

Aluminum – Solar (Dandy Boy Records, 2022)

Aluminum are another shoegazey/punk/dreampop band from San Francisco who first caught our attention in 2020 with “Spinning Backwards,” the first song they released as part of a two-track digital-only release on bandcamp. Aside from just being a rad song, it incorporates a totally sick-as-fuck early 90s drum machine break beat! They sometimes even incorporate drum machines with live drums during shows, which I’ve always wanted to try but could never quite commit to. They’ve since released the 6-song Windowpane ep with our friends’ Dandy Boy Records. Solar is the third track on that ep and it’s just fantastic! Highly recommend!

Lemon Lights will be out on September 29th, on Mt. St. Mtn. Look HERE for more information on Seablite.