By Carlos Ramirez
Every person’s life comes with difficulties. If an artist is to become great, they must accept difficult times along with the great, to create.
Lead singer Ben Distefano was making his way to a professional career as an athlete. When several injuries caused things to go awry, a pilgrimage was the right medicine. The Texan packed his bags, threw them in a minivan, and took off on a 6-week journey to write a song that reflects the emotions that come with a dramatic change in life’s trajectory.
The tune “Seabird” touches on lost love, life’s uncertainty, mania, and depression. All the ingredients necessary for a kicking pop-punk or emo song. The Forbearant definitely have a hard rock sound, but the arrangement and vocal melody of “Seabird” lean to the pop side of things. The song begins relatively soft and slow then builds to a nice crescendo with a pop-rock bridge and chorus that’s reminiscent of The Killers. That’s the beauty of any art medium: the artist is often applauded for not coloring inside the lines. The Forbearant do a fine job of working two popular genres.
“…I’m looking for a place called home” repeats in passionate fashion after the bridge. Distefano adds distortion to his voice, which makes the bridge sound like a pleading cry. Not a guttural or a “pop-punk” scream, but an honest painful sung voice. This grit really highlights how lost the singer feels. It will be interesting to hear how this alt-rock band may approach a song that leans heavier. Follow our Alchemical Multigenre Mixdown playlist for more great music featured on the site.
Carlos Ramirez is a broadcaster from the DC region and lover of all things performance art with experience in theatre, television, and radio. Carlos believes one of the most important details that makes music magical is the culture. Supporting the artist is just as important as enjoying their art. Therefore, when he’s not on the air, you can find him at every open mic, hole in the wall, and basement show in town. @LosOnAir
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
