Naming a release Bloom can only conjure up thoughts of a fresh start and a new direction, all of which is true for Guildford-based pop-rock band Seasonal. The band struggled to find their place within music, and after experimentation they landed on a sound they felt was truly them with debut track Seven, which is also where they got their name from. “The name of the band really just came from the change in the attitude and way we approached the project, like a change in the seasons,” vocalist Matt Truseler explains of the background to their first release.
Bloom is nostalgic in the way it brings you back to a youth of listening to pop-punk bands, yet still sounds updated enough to appeal to a newer audience. It sounds honest and fresh for the band, with all the tracks being personal to the members themselves, rather than pandering to the generic clichés that anyone could find relatable.
Although it is their debut release, the EP sounds like it could be from a band a few albums down the line. Drawing comparisons to pop-punk and pop-rock veterans like The Wonder Years and Deaf Havana, Seasonal sound like they’re ready to take on the big leagues already. Showing off their emotive side on Headphones, they look back with rose-tinted glasses on their youth and how listening to certain songs brings them straight back. It’s a sweet song, if a little constrained to the genre’s lyrical conventions, however it’s sung with conviction and it’s easy to hear that every word is meant.
Departing track Homeward sounds like a swan song, and suitably closes out the EP. Leaning more towards pop than rock this time around, the heartfelt pleading for someone to come home establishes Seasonal as a band that can tap into genuine emotions whilst still retaining melody and interest in their music.
7/10
For fans of: Deaf Havana, The Wonder Years, Mayday Parade
Words by Eloise Bulmer
‘Bloom’ by Seasonal is released on 19th May.
