This review is somewhat out of the norm for Darkness Calling, as The Sea At Midnight’s debut album was released nearly a year ago. A superior remastered version surprised everyone last March, but even that was a quarter of a year ago. Needless to say, this review is well overdue — but it’s one that shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you’re not familiar with this LA post-punk act fronted by Vince Grant.
Of all the bands featured thus far on Darkness Calling, The Sea At Midnight perhaps best captures the true essence of 80’s post-punk: not just the instrumentation, but the longing, heartache, and sincerity that comes with it. There are glimmers of new wave on this album as well, and perhaps that’s a more fitting box to put the artist in, if you’re inclined to do so.
But why not make up your own mind? Join us as we dissect all 8 tracks on this stunning debut album. You can listen to each one for free using the embedded Bandcamp players below.
And if you like what you hear, don’t forget to support the artist directly by purchasing the album through Bandcamp.
REVIEW BY RTM (@RYANTHOMASMITCHELL)
1. Medicine
“In the morning with the rain
Here comes that pain again
In the night, in my veins
Here comes that pain again”
What an intro. If this debut album has a narrative arc, “Medicine” would certainly be a fitting start. We’re introduced to the “character” of The Sea At Midnight in a way: a man who’s been beaten down by life and has turned to substance abuse as a way to dull the pain. While there are certainly artistic flourishes and liberties taken for the sake of crafting a compelling song, this story probably isn’t far from the truth.
“Lyrically, many of the songs deal with my struggles with alcohol and drug addiction and coping with lifelong depression. I suppose there is a strong element of sadness to them, but I also feel they contain a glimmer of hope.”
The rest of the album certainly has those glimmers of hope that Grant mentions. However, “Medicine” is a bleak, dramatic track carried by plodding drums that could have been ripped from The Cure’s Pornography. Even the elegant guitarwork on “Medicine” can’t quell the sadness that looms over this song. But don’t fear — the ride is just beginning.
2. Melancholia
“Melancholia” is perhaps a more somber track than “Medicine,” but it captures some of the bittersweet longing I mentioned in this review’s introduction. This could be considered the first love song on the album (of which there are many), but it’s interesting to note that the lover in this track may not be a person at all, but rather a manifestation of the narrator’s drug abuse. There’s enough ambiguity here to make the argument, and there’s yet another reference to veins:
“Well, we’ve met many times before
And we’ve danced a thousand dances
And we’ve held, held each other like lovers
With her venom deep in my veins”
The next passage seems to back up my theory: “I awoke at dawn to find her sitting at the edge of my bed / You see, she’s always leaving / Leaving me for dead.”
Could I be reading too much into this? Maybe. But it’s nice to encounter lyrics with enough depth and artistry that the listener is free to go on the ride they choose.
3. How Many Times
“Thought I’d come over
We could hang out and count the stars
Maybe read some poetry
Figure out just who we are”
“How Many Times” might be my favorite track on The Sea At Midnight. The frantic drumming kicks the album into high gear and shows a little more of that new wave side I alluded to earlier. There’s a certain swagger to Grant’s vocal delivery on this track in particular — a carefree attitude that is pervasive and addictive. Simply put, it’s a joy to listen to and it’s hard not to put this one on repeat.
The guitars on the chorus in particular call to mind A Flock of Seagulls in the best way. It’s only fitting that the single cover for this track features — quite literally — a flock of seagulls floating above the ocean.
This track may be simpler from a lyrical point of view, but it’s a top-notch single and it keeps the album from sinking too deeply into sadness.
4. Edge of the World
“Sometimes
I stand in the night wind
And I look up
Ask to be forgiven”
“Edge of the World” does that Cure thing, and by that I mean it hides a really emotionally weighty, powerful song beneath shimmering, bright, deceptively happy guitars. This, of course, is 100% a compliment, and something that I don’t know has been successfully pulled off by many other artists. Sure, there are lots of Cure imitators out there, but The Sea At Midnight doesn’t feel like that. Instead, this song captures the true essence of what that whole Cure thing is about without coming across as phoned-in or artificial.
There is real heart here, and it deserves your attention.
5. We Share the Same Stars
“In this loneliness of ours
We share the same stars”
In a world where no one knows what the words “big rock single” mean anymore, this deserves to be one.
While not my favorite of the bunch, if I had to pick one song to epitomize The Sea At Midnight’s sound for a casual music listener, this would be it. It checks all the boxes: lush, Cure-esque guitars, a killer synth line, a catchy chorus, hopelessly romantic lyrics.
This is probably the brightest spot on the album, too. While still poetic and hinting at the inherent pain of being human (Wow, did I really just write that?) this is unabashedly a love song first and foremost, and one that stirs up those teenage memories.
6. Afterglow
“Disappearance and deliverance
Sealed with a kiss”
As good as the album has been up to this point, right about here is where I find myself missing some of the darker overtones of tracks like “Medicine.”
But just as The Sea At Midnight runs the risk of becoming too syrupy sweet, “Afterglow” kicks in. While still ultimately a love song, the track begins with a mysterious, moody intro that lets you know right away that something is amiss…
The little synth line after the chorus is addictive and will get stuck in your head after one listen. There’s also a bass-heavy instrumental part in the bridge that is top-notch.
Killer stuff.
7. Anything About You
“Anything About You” leans into the 80’s sonic palette with great results. The little vocal “call and response” effect in the verses is something that’s just too fun to deny.
There’s also a guitar solo that makes you wish you were driving your Corvette convertible along the beach (as you are wont to do).
This track, like many on the album, sounds fun and bright on the surface, but the lyrics reveal that more is happening beneath. What seems like a promising relationship with great potential is also fraught with hesitation:
“The problem echoes in my mind
The outcome is up to us to find...
I don’t know anything about you”
8. Sweet Addiction
Okay, earlier I said that “How Many Times” was my favorite track. But that’s because my mind — in a form of self-defense — tried to protect me from this soul-crushing, beautiful ending.
“Sweet Addiction” is far and away the most powerful track on this album.
Bright little synth notes carry you on a little wave of optimism. Is the character of The Sea At Midnight coming out from the other side of his pain and addictions? Has he washed himself clean of the drugs and the despair and found a renewing love?
The song pauses at 3:07 (the best moment on the album — I’m not kidding) and then:
“Your heart’s grey, mine is blue
Hold me closer
Tie it off, let it burn
I’m not dirty
Three days out, now I’m back
I’ve been caught using
And I can’t stop, because it hurts
Sweet addiction”
It’s such a bittersweet, gut-wrenching moment for me. I imagine this narrator/Grant/whoever it may be clutching his new love on the beach, crying, pleading for forgiveness. “I’m not dirty” or, “This relapse isn’t who I am.” And the line throughout the track, “Hold me closer.” Such a powerful moment that brings me — someone who has never wrestled with these demons — nearly to tears at the weight of it all. “The weight of the ocean.”
All eight tracks on this album share a cohesion, whether it’s sonically, emotionally, or in tying it all back to the sea. It’s a fantastic journey that is captured here, and one that is often overlooked in today’s “albums,” indie or otherwise. I feel that many LP’s these days are merely collections of songs, not intended to necessarily work in tandem or tell a story. And while not every album needs to be a “concept album,” I think there’s something to be said for albums that at least feel like a collective unit, almost like one long song that works better than its individual parts.
The Sea At Midnight delivers on all of these fronts, and for that reason, I feel it’s only fair to give it a full 5 out of 5 on our COVID-free Bat Scale.
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