Seafog - Slow Death

When Port Chalmers band Seafog released their last album, Animal Lovers, in February 1919, they did so as abtrio. Round about the same time, Robin Sharma (guitar, vocals), Marty Sadler (drums), and Nigel Waters (guitar) were joined and completed by Andrew Barsby on bass. He had just returned to Dunedin from Australia. Seafog has continued as a quartet ever since, further developing their powerful, relentless sound, in
Rob’s famous garage, on stage and in the studio.

Their distinct musical style has been influenced by bands as diverse as Guided By Voices, Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Joy Division and, of course, by the Dunedin Sound of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Work on the follow-up to Animal Lovers started very early after Andrew Barsby had joined. But it turned out to be a long process of crafting and honing the songs.

When the four-piecereleased their new song Influences on Spotify on 3 January 2022, it was meant to act as a first single to promote the soon-to-be-released Slow Death album. On 6 August 2022, Dunedin filmmaker Dan Eady's congenial Influences music video followed, however the album still wasn't in sight yet. Covid was not the only obstacle. There were also personal changes. After many years of working with recording and mixing wizard Forbes Williams, the band parted ways with him and decided to do it themselves. Eventually, they ended up hiring Thomas Bell over Waitangi weekend 2023 to re-record the entire album. And Tom Bell finally got a mix done which Seafog are really happy with. "Tom is so professional and easy to work with!" says Robin Sharma.

Slow Death is very different to what you may be expecting knowing the first three Seafog records. Yet, it is still unmistakably Seafog, that band that Mark Williams once so fittingly characterised as a „gnarly little unit, like a terrier on a leash”.