Austin Sound

Self-praised as classically un-hip yet still stylish, The Seas debut full length, Let’s Fake It, is full of anti-mainstream pop and is, despite what the band themselves says, cool. The album is hard to put a finger on, built upon frontman Nurk’s jumpy croon and LaRue’s female harmonies. The Seas move so quickly through moods of experimental pop, psych-rock, elegant melody, and 80s post-punk that it sounds as if you went into the future and listened to one of their greatest hits compilations.

For instance, “Fallen Devil” makes for a decidedly sunny pop song that strolls through melancholy verses and bursting into Byrne and Weymouth influenced refrain (“You make me leave heaven and happy/ you make me feel like a fallen devil”). On the other end of the spectrum is “Don’t Say Anything,” an unsuspecting sleepy, psych-rock ballad accompanied by punchy metronomic drums. The Seas allow a kind of split personality in Let’s Fake It that keeps things interesting and does wonders for the album’s shelf life.

It’s been a good while since we’ve heard from the Seas, who enchanted us with their swaggering pop debut EP several years ago. In the meantime, lead singer Nurk went on to to record his own EPLet’s Fake It below, with the chiming and swooning “French Toast.” The Seas themselves will be heading over to the UK later this month for a gig, though nothing scheduled locally as of now.

The Seas have given us what are hands-down our most fun Sound Off responses yet. And really, we expected nothing less from them. Boasting two members from the Shim Shams, the Seas are familiar with crafting ridiculously addictive pop tunes and show off the skill on their debut self-titled EP. The group caught our attention with their impressive live shows – frontman Nurk carries himself with a sexy, flamboyant swagger that bounces somewhere between Mick Jagger and Brandon Flowers and is matched by the swings of his free-ranging vocals. Songs like “Rita Lee” burst with old-school garage energy and touches of new wave rock, while “Little Girl” brilliantly purrs out enough sexually-ambiguous energy to make Bowie blush. It’s a sound you could drown in - if you weren’t already bobbing so much. The Seas play Friday January 19 at Trophy’s