Today, 22nd October, Manchester outfit Sea Fever release their debut album ‘Folding Lines’ on (CD/DL), with its vinyl version following on October 29th on the band’s own label Sea Fever through Kartel Music Group. Stream ‘Folding Lines’ here. 

The band announced a series of live shows to celebrate the album release,  kicking off with  a special album launch at Manchester’s Night & Day tonight october 22nd, before heading to London for an exclusive  live in-store performance at Rough Trade East on Oct 29. Tickets available here.

Sea Fever is a five piece collective fronted by Iwan Gronow (Haven, Johnny Marr) on vocals and guitars, alongside singer Beth Cassidy (Section 25), the collective also features New Order‘s Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham – with Tom on bass, guitars, synths and programming and Phil on guitars, while powering the band’s pulsing beats is Elliot Barlow.

Sea Fever explains that their coming together as a unit felt inevitable: “We’d wanted to work with each other for ages, so when we finally sat down in the studio, the band just seemed to come together naturally. It felt like we were really free to explore the kinds of music that have always inspired us, we dug right through the record crates of our minds to shape the sound of Sea Fever.”

The result is a debut ten-track album that represents the sound of a band instinctively working together; effortlessly exciting and equally timeless. Opening track ‘Crossed Wires’ mixes a classic Mancunian melody with futuristic, soaring sounds and dark escapism. While second track ‘Under Duress’ Sea Fever is a multi-layered orchestrated sonic earworm about unrequited love. Elsewhere the driving indie electronic cut ‘De Facto’ effortlessly blends together sounds that have helped define the electronica genre with innovative songwriting.

Whilst in the title track ‘Folding Lines’ Sea Fever exhibit their strong lyrical content delivered by Iwan and Beth on equal vocal duties on the track, and wrapped around the band idiosyncratic sound; “we wanted it to be distinctive sounding, like a cross between a spaghetti western soundtrack and early 80’s New York dance music,” they explain. Born as an instrumental written by Tom and Phil around the time of New Order’s release ‘Music Complete’, indie anthem ‘Built To Last’, was the first piece of music Tom Chapman played to Iwan Gronow who built the around the lifting chorus; “it was the outset of Sea Fever,” they say.

Fusing intelligent electronics and clanging guitars, underpinned by soaring and hypnotic strings, the band has already picked up early support from the likes of Chris Hawkins on BBC 6 Music.

‘Folding Lines’ album out now on CD/DL- Stream it here. Vinyl Release October 29th – Pre-order here

Live Dates – Tickets available here.

Oct 22nd – Night & Day – Manchester

Oct 29th – Rough Trade East – London

‘Folding Lines’ Album Tracklisting:

1. Crossed Wires

1. Under Duress

1. Afterthought

1. Built To Last

1. Folding Lines

1. Satellite

1. Le Coup

1. De Facto

1. The Finder

1. Programme Your Life