ALBUM REVIEW: V – SEIMS

As the range of experimental rock genres has expanded over the years, distinct genre categories have emerged, including math rock, post-rock, neo-prog, fusion, and other variations. Scenes develop and harden the tropes of a sound, moving from the experimental to the familiar. Australian outfit SEIMS may sit closest to the math-rock side of the genre divides, with their fiddly and fast guitar playing and malleable approach to time signature selection. Yet for over a decade – and especially on their fifth album, V – there remains a relentless experimental streak, a determination not to colour within the lines, to sprawl creatively across these divides.

So yes, the first song proper and single Chaos Within A Construct has the insistent pace of math rock, energetic and varied in its pacing, glistening in its angular guitar tones. But it’s followed by the relaxed pace of Forever The Optimist, a song that foregrounds repeated piano motifs and lush acoustic guitar chords. Between the meandering bass and old-school progressive rock chord changes, it feels almost a throwback to 80s new age jazz fusion – as if PAT METHENY discovered four-to-the-floor kicks and math rock guitar tunings. A couple of tracks later, Preoccupations leans hard into industrial synths at a more frenetic pace. Its chorus evokes the stage in a 90s Nintendo video game soundtrack where you’re taking on a gnarly mid-game boss fight, with repeated string stabs and shifting time signatures.

The message is clear: On V, SEIMS are determined not to settle into a single formula. Its writing and much of its musical performance originate from band leader Simeon Bartholomew, for whom SEIMS began life as a solo project. Bartholomew plays bass, guitar, piano, and synths throughout the record, showcasing a rich musicianship alongside the creatively unbounded songwriting. The drums match this energy: Chris Allison (PLINI) shows himself comfortable both sitting back in the mix to let things breathe and dominating with rapid-fire snare rolls and spacious tom patterns.

Central to the sound on V are the strings, with different combinations of violin, viola, cello and double bass appearing on most tracks. The violins in particular find themselves central to the sound, doubling the melodies and the drama on Chaos Within A Construct and Forever The Optimist. Given their impact here, it’s fair to ask why other fiddly math rock bands have largely failed to embrace the fiddle.

There’s a clever streak writ across V. Lead single Flowing Upward delights in its two-movement structure, starting with a tense yet restrained first half of natural drums, organic guitars and strings, each twisted with glitchy and reversed effects to different degrees. It then transitions to a fully electric sound – a snarling, distorted bass and space-age synths, subtly reprising phrases in a heavy post-rock climax. It’s a purposeful contrast to the warped naturalism of the first half. Later, Abandonment Is Expected takes on an air of childlike innocence. A first half of tape-warped fingerpicked guitar transitions into a slow and simple melody akin to a lullaby, propelled by strings and the slide guitar of guest Sam Sheumack (FANGZ).

That cleverness often manifests in a direct challenge to the listener. Follow-up track My Memories Retain Nothing manages to combine confusing harmonic shifts, a nasally abrasive lead line, and slightly pitchy vocal wails to a discomforting effect. Some mild simplification and a horn section show off the ability to do euphoric build and release, but then it cuts off for what is essentially meandering free jazz. Vocals appear on a few other songs on V, to mixed effect; generously, they add a looser, raw feel to otherwise exacting performances.

All that cleverness and challenge could be frustrating, but SEIMS navigate this with a quality of execution. The teasing escalation of End’s Tether showcases this best; a song both with clear nods to the post-rock catharsis of 65DAYSOFSTATIC and MAYBESHEWILL but infused with its own character. Short bookend tracks aside, it’s a worthy closer.

If you’re after a math rock album that solely deploys all the tropes of math rock and nothing else, neither V nor SEIMS are for you. If you’re not interested in a little sonic challenge, a little abrasion, then you might find yourself skipping a song or two. SEIMS can do all of the best bits of math rock, post-rock, and neo-prog, and fans of any one of these will find parts to relish on V. But the true appeal of V is its rich musical creativity and intelligence, an urge to experiment and not to sit in a single comfortable lane. Open minds will find rich rewards here.

Rating: 8/10

V is set for release November 14th via Bird’s Robe and Dunk! Records.

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