All the way from Southern Oregon, indie-alternative band Seaons introduces “Aprilis,” a conceptual post-apocalyptic story that’s their debut second album. Simply put, from the cover to the music, it’s a work of art.
From beginning to end, the album is a continuous flow of vibrant instrumentation and wonderful storytelling, lending the listener few breaks in between. It’s like a film that must be watched from beginning to end, not to be skipped around.
Those who are familiar with the band’s first album “Sungun” might recognize the intro of the first track “Spaces of Heart & Mind.” The blend of light drums, deep guitar, and wistful piano in “March” carries the listener to a moment where there’s the first break of chaos in eerie screams that are the only vocals in the song. As it moves effortlessly into “The Full,” Seaons’ signature positive sound can’t be mistaken. “Whoa, we had to climb here to turn our backs here,” Sean Siders bellows, filling listeners with a sense of triumph, as if they’ve just survived an apocalypse themselves.
Perhaps one of the most impressive songs on the album is “Rain–Garden of Time.” The guitar, championed by Micah McCaw, peels throughout the first half of the almost five minute song, broken up by Siders’s incredible piano playing.
Next comes “Aprilis Fields” and “The Visionary,” carrying on the story of hope for survival. These two songs are evidence of the band’s master of diversity within an album, where not one song sounds the same, but is its own entity.
“Panic in the Sky” enforces this fact, foreshadowing more chaos in the story that’s impossible not to chant along with. Providing a more alternative element to the album, “Sleeping Saviors” feels like it’s longer than five-and-a-half minutes, but in all the right ways. As soon as Siders sings, “I do believe in the Sleeping Saviors, the angels who lead us through all of Heaven’s doors,” anyone who’s listening might find himself believing in them as well.
“Tick & Twirl” and “Doom,” while both distinguishable from the other, contain that interwoven theme of chaos as guitar and drums pair to deliver a sinister and foreboding sound. “The Revolution of Aprilis,” on the other hand, slows the album down, only to speed everything back up into McCaw’s melodious guitar riffs by the end. Underneath it all, bassist Grayson Phelps doesn’t slow down for a second as he masterfully maintains the song’s rhythmic style.
If there’s one song that encapsulates the entire album, it’s “Aprilis Moon.” Starting with piano, the song blends guitar, drums, and bass together into something multi-dimensional, something euphoric.
The last track, “Nostalgia,” is most reminiscent of “Sungun,” as if it’s the band’s way of saying farewell to a past that, when looked back on, taught the band everything they know now.
The only problem with “Aprilis” is that it’s just under an hour, but at least it can be played on an endless loop, maybe until Seaons releases their third album. The album was released Feb. 13, bringing an end to the band’s five-week nationwide tour.