When most new bands or projects release their first new music, it’s fun to daydream where the sound will develop over time. With Massachusetts’ Seer Group, there were no such fantasies. A collaboration led by Boxford-based producer Jason Rozen of Grinding Tapes Recording Company, the group released a one-off synth-pop record in 2012, the fantastic OWLPINE, which was an effort more reflected on the musical chemistry of a network of friends from that particular space and time. With nearly a dozen contributors, they were able to get together for a single live show, a release party at the Middle East, and aside from the tease of a new track last spring, we haven’t really heard much from the gang called Seer Group.
But as it turns out, Rozen has been working on some compositions with his friends over the past several months, and will release the Love Me Back EP on October 21. The record’s first single, also titled “Love Me Back,” features familiar collaborators Elijah Wyman (of Decent Lovers) Eleni Castro (of standout Seer Group tracks “Year of the Flame,” “Wounded Animal”) on vocals, and you can listen to it today exclusively via Vanyaland.
The Love Me Back EP will feature five or six new Seer Group tracks, showcase 11 contributors (including five singers), and be released for free download on the official drop date. We caught up with Rozen late last week to get the scoop on this latest, and unexpected, chapter of Seer Group.
Michael Marotta: Seer Group always seemed like a one-off; what inspired this new material?
Jason Rozen: When we started Seer Group, we didn’t have any kind of plan beyond recording that first batch of songs. But once we finished OWLPINE, we jumped right back into working on new songs. I think it was natural to keep going because we’re already hanging out and talking about music all the time anyway.
Was it fun working with that cast of performers again?
I love writing and recording songs with these guys. For me, it’s just a fun, no-pressure creative thing to do with my friends and I hope we’ll keep it going for a long time.
Was there still chemistry, was it still natural?
Definitely. I think our process keeps things fresh and fun; I record a bunch of instrumental sketches and circulate them around and then everyone picks the songs they want to work on. That way, everyone works at their own pace and just on songs they like. It also works as quality control for me, since no one ever picks my duds to work on.
Any live performances scheduled for the new release?
Unfortunately, we don’t have any plans to play any shows just because it would be really tough to get everyone together to practice. We’d also need to clone everyone in the band at least once and I don’t know if the technology is quite there yet.
Listen to “Love Me Back” below…
Here is the Love Me Back EP artwork; the single artwork, displayed via Soundcloud, is a snapshot of the bottom left corner…
