The fourth annual Jabroni Fest is less than a month away and to help fuel anticipation for one of Atlanta’s most prominent local punk and metal festivals, we have a blistering new cut from a band who’s become one of the cornerstones of the event, melodic punk foursome Seagulls. The track, which was recorded in various basements and bedrooms, is the first taste from the group’s upcoming first full length, which will hopefully come out sometime next year.
For fans of the band’s desperate, earnest punk, the song is another in a line of gritty-yet-catchy anthems that seek to beat back the day-to-day grind with a sprinkling of anger, a touch of nostalgia, and several six packs to wash it all away. The biggest compliment I can probably pay here is to acknowledge how righteous this ripper is going to sound in the sweaty confines of a packed basement or dingy dive bar. The rowdy riffs, the lightning-fast drums, the gravelly vocals, the shout-along choruses — it’s all tailor-made for that combination of communal elation and emotional purging that are hallmarks of a great punk show.
But despite the single’s reckless pacing and live wire energy, the underlying sentiment here is one pained regret and commiseration. According to bassist/vocalist Steve Johnson, it’s a song moving forward by admitting your faults and apologizing for your misdeeds before everything falls apart and you’re left with nothing.
“Our most active bands to date have nothing on Seagulls and, frankly, we have little idea what we’re doing,” Johnson confesses via email. “With that lack of experience we’ve all made some choices that have both severed and threatened relationships for better and worse — and probably will continue to. Best we can do from it is apologize where necessary and move on.”
Listen below.
Seagulls will perform on Saturday, November 12 at Star Bar for Jabroni Fest IV. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: seagullsatl.com
Bandcamp: seagullsatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @seagullsatl
Instagram: @seagullsatl
Twitter: @seagullsatl