at:Sea - Home EP

​at:Sea

​Home EP
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By William Morrow
​

Taking cues from acts like Bon Iver, Andrew Belle and Ben Howard, at:Sea embodies the quintessential wistful, yet optimistic, folk singer/songwriter genre in their EP entitled Home. Recorded in a friend’s home studio, Home emerges from the life of Nicholas Vanscoten and his personal journey that his music explores.

A hushed drumbeat introduces the first song on the album “Pennsylvania” amid throbbing bass guitar and full, warm acoustic guitar strumming. Vanscoten’s voice melds nicely with the song’s atmosphere and as slowly bending notes echo from a guitar above the soundscape, he maintains a slight raspiness that draws the listener close. Ever melodic in style, the song transitions seamlessly from verse to chorus and back again in this well structured tune.

The record continues with “Go” as a sole pounding bass drum lays down the beat under a hovering, droning organ before the primarily acoustic instrumentation appears. The entire album employs vocal harmonies well, but this song especially uses them creatively within the chorus of the song making for one of the more catchy and sing-along-able segments on the record.

“Fading” preserves the quiet energy so characteristic of at:Sea’s sound. Vanscoten ventures into his falsetto range for much of this song, which, combined with the steady pulsing rhythms and minor chording, give this track an extremely relaxed and somber feel. The aura of the song slowly builds as the music’s volume and complexity develops throughout the song, climaxing towards the end with a full-fledged anthem-like guitar solo and unfettered instruments pounding.

​The record comes to a close with “Hallelujah” a track that fades into existence just as it fades out of existence. Between the two fades live the ultra-loose structure of the song, comprised of slow shakers, even vocals and modulated sound bytes that give the already beautiful song an ethereal quality that transcends the rest of the album in lyrical and emotive caliber. As a whole, Home’s four tracks rises above any expectations that listeners might impose onto it, making for a pleasant surprise for even the most cynical audience.

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