Taking their name from a mis-heard Rolling Stones lyric, Green Seagull are the latest band to burst out of London's burgeoning neo-psych scene, with their harmony-laden baroque/freakbeat sound drawing on influences such as the Left Banke, the Kinks, and the Association. The band formed in 2016 when Paul Nelson (New Electric Ride) approached Paul Milne (Hidden Masters / Magnetic Mind) to work on some songs together. A shared enthusiasm for late-60s baroque psychedelia and 12-string jangle soon blossomed into a prolific song-writing team, and before long the duo had more songs than they knew what to do with. They were joined shortly after by Sarah Gonputh on keys and Elian Dalmasso on drums, and the newly-minted quartet set about recording a demo on an old 4-track cassette in their rehearsal room. These lo-fi recordings pricked up the ears of Mega Dodo Records head honcho John Blaney, who immediately signed the band for an album deal. Kicking off with the single 'Scarlet'/'They Just Don't Know' in June 2017, they followed that with November's '(I Used To Dream In) Black And White', which was issued on limited edition white vinyl. In 2018 they released their debut album 'Scarlet Fever', where the close harmonies and jangly baroque tints drew some obvious comparisons with The Kinks and The Electric Prunes, but also the streetwise edge found in The Coral or Inspiral Carpets. 2020 saw the release of their second album, 'Cloud Cover', which experimented with contrapuntal melodies and functional harmony patterns, resulting in an ambitious and stylistically broad venture that followed their widely praised debut. Their deeply entrenched love for 60's experimental eclecticism is clear in the playful psych adventure of 'Little Lady In The Amplifier', while 'This Wheel' is it's darker counterpart, with moody keys taking centre stage. The band's latest album is 'Smoke And Mirrors', which came out a few months ago, and which includes the singles 'Lightning Girl' and '(They're Coming For You) Barbara', which were released on 7" via Disques Rogue in late 2022. Channelling classic UK and West Coast psych vibes, Green Seagull continue to enchant us with their harmony-drenched chamber-pop, and in an effort to get this fine band some well-deserved recognition, here is a sampler of some of their best work to date.
Track listing
01 Millions Of People (from 'Smoke And Mirrors' 2026)
02 Scarlet (from 'Scarlet Fever' 2018)
03 It's Too Late (from 'Cloud Cover' 2020)
04 First Snow Of Winter (Christmas single 2018)
05 Lay My Head (from 'Scarlet Fever' 2018)
06 Walking (from 'Smoke And Mirrors' 2026)
07 Simeon Brown (from 'Cloud Cover' 2020)
08 (I Used To Dream In) Black And White (from 'Scarlet Fever' 2018)
09 This Wheel (from 'Cloud Cover' 2020)
10 Paradise Way (from 'Smoke And Mirrors' 2026)
11 Remember The Time (from 'Scarlet Fever' 2018)
12 Dead And Gone (from 'Cloud Cover' 2020)
13 Mr Trouble (from 'Smoke And Mirrors' 2026)
14 Belladonna (from 'Cloud Cover' 2020)
15 Girls Are Coming Into Town (from 'Scarlet Fever' 2018)
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