Seahaven: That Makes It All Worth It

Nearly six years after their last full-length album, SEAHAVEN have returned with a self-titled record, which they describe as an amalgamation of everything they’ve released up until this point. It’s fitting, that’s it’s named after the band, as it’s also probably the most self-assured they’ve sounded, and they know how proud they are. Catching up with vocalist Kyle Soto, he explains the excitement that comes with the release.

“Getting it out and giving it to the people, it’s kind of a weight off your shoulders. I put a lot of personal experience in the lyrics, but once it’s out there, it’s for the world to do what they want with it.”

This release comes nearly six years after the band’s last album, Halo of Hurt, which came out in the midst of the COVID lockdowns. It was barely toured, and never really had the moment its deserved. Understandably, SEAHAVEN were hesitant to move on. As they spent some time working on other projects, including Soto’s solo album, it’s fair to say that the band was somewhat put on the backburner. “Everyone was kind of preoccupied with other things in life. But, you know, we always find our way back to the centre at some point. It felt like it was time for a full band SEAHAVEN project.” Soto explains how the writing process usually begins with him and then he brings what he has to the band, but this was amplified with this record, which quickly became a very insular process. Soto spent some time where the album was all he could think about until it became all consuming, writing constantly before showing any of it to the rest of the band.

“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s therapeutic, but it’s also forged in the flames, and it’s exhausting. It’s chaotic, but there’s relief in it as well.” He explains how often, he would get up in the middle of the night and turn all the lights on, just to get down new ideas he was having at the time. While he didn’t initially set out for the album to be self-titled, the band are always aware that any record they write could be their last. “We don’t necessarily want it to be, but you never know.” By taking some perspective, the band evaluated everything they loved from their own discography, and decided to lean into their strengths, making something they knew they would be proud of.

Although the album began as an incredibly isolated process, the bands input was always completely necessary, and Soto describes how the other members were able to shape it. “I’m in the trenches, and I have a micro lens on it. Eric, our drummer, is not a songwriter, but he’s the best opinion to get as he’s hearing the songs from the furthest distance. He would say, which we laugh about, if there’s a fruit basket, you want to make sure it’s well balanced, not too many apples or oranges. We have fun with that, when the song starts to take shape, and go, what are we missing here?” It may seem anxiety inducing, to bring all these songs to the other members of the band, but Soto explains it as a ‘nervous excitement’, and how because there’s such a close relationship there, he can almost predict what they will and won’t like. An underlying theme of the album is growth and maturity, and Soto explains that when he was younger, he may have been hard-headed and struggle to take criticism, but now he is able to acknowledge that he doesn’t have all the answers, but the band are usually on the same page as him, and can give criticism along with potential solutions, creating a really strong working environment.

As the album was almost completely wrapped up, Soto was due to go on a solo trip to Costa Rica, something he had planned months in advance, but was now questioning if he should leave right in the middle of everything. Despite the chaos, the band recognised how he really needed a chance to clear his head and encouraged him to take a week away to reset. Unable to stay away from writing, of course, Soto walked up and down the beach with his headphones on and completely worked out a last minute song: Million Ways, which ended up being his favourite from the album. Some of the best tracks were the late additions, and at the eleventh hour, Soto brought forwards Long Goodbye, with everybody laughing as they were just trying to wrap up the album, but it ended up being the one everybody was the most excited about. “It’s probably our most cohesive record sonically, and the best sounding record we have. Lyrically, I’m pretty proud of it. It feels like we’re putting our best foot forward.”

Despite now being five albums in, it stands out how SEAHAVEN are still so grateful to anybody who listens. “There’s so much noise and competition, it’s an uphill battle just to get it in front of people. The fact that anybody puts time aside and listens to our music, let alone connects with it is such a big blessing. We’re fortunate to have that at any scale.” The deeply personal element of their latest album simply makes it even more real, and it’s bound to have an impact. “If we get a message online, or in person they come up to us and tell us that it’s helped them through a breakup, or losing someone close to them, or any kind of hardship, that makes it all worth it.”

Seahaven is out now via Pure Noise Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS131 here.