It surely takes balls to release your own record nowadays (not that it didn't back in the day), but some bands do believe in what they are doing enough to take such a plunge. Where the Land Meets the Sea offer Listen for the Gulls as proof that some bands, be it punk or not, still breath some life into the DIY aesthetic. A four-piece indie rock outfit from Massachusetts, Where the Land Meets the Sea descends from a multitude of bands, including but not exclusive to Smoke or Fire, to create a blend of pop indie rock with some post-hardcore leanings. The five songs that comprise the EP, Listen for the Gulls offer a bit of peak into just what the band has to offer listeners.
The initial moments of the opening track prove to be a nice sleight of hand trick on the part of the band because the music that succeeds this is nothing like it, but rather what does come is dueling male and female vocals laying over pop punk beats, clanging guitars, and keyboards which provide a definite textural quality to the music. Nikki Dessingue's vocals are quite charming, particularly when the band slows down a bit, and provide quite a hook to draw listeners into Listen for the Gulls. Even though there are some nagging similarities with what Where the Land Meets the Sea musically accomplishes (at times I think of a more hyper version of Minus the Bear while listening to this EP, particularly "All is Soft"), the band does concoct a fairly unique sounding mixture.
For a debut EP, Listen for the Gulls does deliver in several ways, which is a pleasant surprise for these sometimes jaded ears. Where the Land Meets the Sea provide a more or less upbeat sounding record that tempers the sometimes darker mood that the lyrics can convey, but this interesting dichotomy only adds to the experience of the EP. On a personal level, I find myself enjoying the slower fare that the band produces, and these deliver when they occur. But the fast moments do keep the record from getting old quick. Check this out because you too might be pleasantly surprised by the five songs on Listen for the Gulls; I am glad that I heard this and will be waiting to hear more from Where the Land Meets the Sea.
