Tuesday 18 July 2017

Dayseeker Spinefarm debut "Dreaming Is Sinking | Waking Is Rising" released July 14th



Southern California's DAYSEEKER released their Spinefarm debut Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising on July 14.

It sounds like the premise of a dramatic thriller series on NETFLIX. A man avenges the unspeakable crimes committed against his wife only to be bludgeoned into a coma. Locked in a vegetative state, changes erupt throughout his world, spanning the dissolution of his marriage and the death of his estranged mother. While his hospital bed doubles as a front row seat to the chaos, questions arise… Is any of this happening? Is it real? What does it mean?

Some of the answers may or may not be encoded within the 12 tracks comprising Dayseeker’s 2017 conceptual third full-length album, Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising [Spinefarm]. Maintaining an inimitable and infectious intensity, the music represents a marked evolution for the Orange County group—Rory Rodriguez [vocals], Shawn Yates [guitar], Gino Sgambelluri [guitar], Ramone Valerio [bass], and Mike Karle [drums]. Since 2012, the group has quietly sent shockwaves throughout the scene. Their 2015 second full-length album, Origin, bowed in the Top 20 of Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. Fan favorite “Hello” cracked 536K Spotify streams as “The Earth Will Turn” and “Jealous” each surpassed the 265K-mark. Simultaneously, they toured with the likes of Hawthorne Heights and Silent Planet in addition to receiving acclaim from New Noise Magazine, Ultimate Guitar, Sputnik Music, and more.

However, the boys wanted to collectively push the envelope for album number three. “I had always wanted to do a full concept album,” exclaims Rory. “In the past, our records were mainly based on personal experiences. I spoke on things I went through with my parents, breakups, and losing loves ones. This time, I wanted to stray from that path and write a semi-fictional story.”

The DNA of this story is an amalgam of the coma suffered by a friend of Rory’s ex-girlfriend, Alex Garland’s book The Coma, and Boys Night Out’s 2005 concept record Trainwreck—a personal favorite of the frontman. He carefully pieced together these inspirations into one bold body of work. Producer Josh Schroeder [King 810, The Plot In You, Battlecross] encouraged the narrative to unfold musically. “Josh really respected the concept,” Rory goes on. “He helped us add some flare and personality to round out the entire vision. Plus, he made it sound huge!”

The first single “Vultures” snaps from a breathy verse into an onslaught of guitars and drums. It hinges on a stop-and-start groove as Rory strangles a scream from raw emotion before slipping into a hypnotic croon, “Can you see yourself for who you really are?” “A girl I was very close with opened up to me about an experience where she got drunk and was taken advantage at a party,” he sighs. “I felt very protective over her. I had such deep-rooted negative feelings towards this guy. She never found out who it was either. It’s touchy, but it fits into the overall concept. I don’t think there are many musicians out there addressing this issue. Hopefully, the song can comfort anyone going through something that terrible.”

Elsewhere, “Sleep in the Sea pt. II” [feat. Garrett Russell of Silent Planet] swings like a wrecking ball from potent and powerful pummeling into a vicious vocal volley. “As far as the story goes, the guy wakes up and finds out his wife left him for another man,” the singer goes on. “At first he’s resentful, but he realizes she gave up because of his flaws. He’s the anchor metaphorically drowning her.”

The record ebbs and flows between moments of pensive pondering and sonic neck-snapping. “Six Feet Under” examines Rory’s strained relationship with his mother within the framework of the narrative, and the epic conclusion “Waking Is Rising” haunts and hypnotizes all at once. In the end, Dayseeker fortify their connection with listeners even further on Dreaming Is Sinking /// Waking Is Rising.

“When people hear this, I hope it inspires them,” Rory leaves off. “It would be amazing if they were encouraged to create something for themselves because of it.”

No comments: