Seera – ‘Sarab’ EP review: Pandora’s box has well and truly been opened
With the shorter time constraints of an EP record, some artists feel the need to make a defiant and rushed statement. Seera, however, realised that the complexity of their sonic message would be drastically misunderstood at the quick snatch of a digital handshake. Instead, Seera take their time and allows layers of their ideas to slowly unfold.
The Skinny: The opening track, ‘Shams’, is a fitting example of that. A reverberated guitar scale pushes you into the vortex of their world, allowing your sight and sound to become increasingly wavy with each passing second before subsiding altogether. Suddenly, you’ve arrived, and there is no turning back.
An almost dry acoustic melody follows, pivoting the band’s sound somewhat drastically and allowing for the folk influences to ring through. It’s as hypnotic and expansive as the landscape from which it was born, and somewhat of an appropriate stall to set the record out on. Because from the second half of the track onwards, it is pure hypnosis via the myriad psychedelic textures being thrown at this EP.
However, the lead instrument of any given sonic breakdown is carefully chosen. Take the second half of ‘Shams’ for example, where synthesisers and key parts come in and guide you into their colourful underworld. Textures float around them, but the lead players in this experiment feel discernible through the melodies they play.
The same can be said for the second track, ‘Akhir Sarkha’, which strips back the pace and follows the noodling decisions of the electric guitar. It almost sounds like The Doors in the midst of one of their psychedelic trips, fuelled by the deserted expanse of inner California.
The keys of ‘Athar’ takes the record deep into the night, where, under the moonlit sky, this carefully crafted ballad can shimmer. The guitar solo stamps their psychedelic-rock label onto the track with red lettered authority and makes this six-minute epic the true standout of the EP.
Then, just as you take a breath, the closing track reveals one more side to this undeniably compelling band. All out rock ensues, and Seera waves you off with a palpable sense of energy that tells you this isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you soon.
The Verdict: Within the realms of an EP, the expansive ambition of this band begins to make sense. Every single player within Seera is deeply accomplished, but more importantly than that, in tune with the wider vision of the band, no matter what psychedelic rabbit hole they choose to follow.
Standout track: ‘Athar’
Release Date: January 22nd, 2025 | Producer: Seera | Label: Women in CTRL
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