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Reviewed by Amanda Mills

Seafog: Raise Your Skinny Fist

Reviewed by Amanda Mills

Seafog: Raise Your Skinny Fist

Port Chalmers’ trio Seafog have been around for about a decade, and in an earlier incarnation were Jetty which featured both Robin Sharma and Martyn Sadler. Joining them in Seafog is guitarist Nigel Waters and the alt-rock trio’s debut is a frequently rhythmic, dense album where the band wear their influences on their sleeves. The title is a reference to Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s 2000 album ‘Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven’ (the title track also mentions the band), while sonically Bailterspace, Snapper, Sonic Youth and 3Ds are familiar lynchpins. Lyrically, Sharma touches on personal experiences and universal themes such as the birth of a child, lack of sleep and infidelity, though GBV is a tribute to a favourite band – Guided By Voices. ‘Raise Your Skinny Fist’ was produced by Forbes William at the Ante Room in Port Chalmers and sounds at once intense and intimate, as if the trio are in the room with you. The power of the guitar/drums line up is potent, and even in the quieter moments like Show Me The Way and Broken, there is a hypnotic force that propels them on, while never overpowering the song. When the guitar does come at you in a rhythmic aural assault, as on Clean UFOs, it’s a welcome one. ‘Raise Your Skinny Fist’ is a rush of energy and sound, a fine album where more is revealed with each listen.