Hello Seahorse releases the Beast within

Written by Hilda Gabriela Tuesday, 19 May 2009 13:24

Recuperating from the paralysis that the recent swine flu outbreak caused over the entire Mexican Republic, Mexico-based indie band Hello Seahorse is able to congregate once again and celebrate their album release. From the offices of their label, MUN Records, and via a telephone conversation, Lo Blondo and Oro de Neta of Hello Seahorse communicate to us that their new album, “Bestia” (beast), will breathe the Mexican Republic’s air… swine flu and all.

“Every step we ever made in the past four years has led us to Bestia,” states Hello Seahorse bass player/synth/comp, Oro de Neta. “Musically, lyrically and presence-wise, we are at the point that is solely and uniquely ours.” The assurance comes without need to say considering that the somewhat newbie and current indie sensation has been greatly received by indie-aficionados and media at large. A recent performance at South by Southwest and a scheduled performance at Mexico’s massive Vive Latino concert are only some of the accomplishments that support the bands’ musical appeal. “We had a lot to share,” states Lo Blondo. “We had a lot to communicate and a lot of emotions compiled over the past few years and we’re excited to finally put it all out there on one album.”

"Bestia" easily comes of as a melancholy fuse of indie and a pop-folk. With unpretentious lyrics of self expression, Hello Seahorse pours their heart and soul in "Bestia" introducing this first single in a vulnerable and forgiving tone. Accompanied by a light and joyful drum beat, “Soy transparente, me puedes oler muy bien, desde que me presento, no tengo que hablar para darme a entender…” creates an uplifting beat to a song, and band for that matter, that clearly wears its heart on its sleeve. “It’s the type of album that we’ve been wanting to do,” states Lo Blondo “it’s raw, it’s honest, it’s real.”

To help solidify this beast of an album, the band recruited the work of producer Yamil Rezc who is also nominated for an Indie-o Music Award under the “Best Producer” category. Known for his work with indie bands such as Le Baron, Rezc helped Hello Seahorse “expand their sound”, a sound that according to Lo Blondo, took a long time to nail and a lot of time to understand. “The healthy chemistry between him and the band made it all the much easier,” she states. “He, more than anyone, understood that we had to take enough time with each specific song in order to get the album to where it lays now.” Where the beast lays now is apparently a well-respected one considering that the first single of “Bestia” which is homonymous to the album, landed the band a nomination in the Indie-o Music Awards’ “Best Song” category. Hello Seahorse welcomes the nomination stating that they wrote the songs for Bestia very quickly because the vibe between the music, lyrics and production flew naturally. “Aside from the sound,” states Lo Blondo “our attention to detail shows our new found approach to composing and the single Bestia is a perfect example of that.”

Hello Seahorse also recently released the music video for its first single. Under the direction of Mexican director Esteban Azuela, the band released a music video that according to the band, captivates the full meaning of the song. Not being one to say what each song represents or means, Hello Seahorse let Esteban take the song and become inspired by it. “When we each hear a song we make of it as we wish depending on our own personal experiences,” states Lo Blondo. “So we didn’t want to approach Esteban with a concept because we feel our creative outlet is through writing and composing music and his is through video.” Returning to the band two months later with a video concept in mind, Esteban requested the bands participation in the video, something that Lo Blondo had originally refused. “He was able to grasp my message of the song which is along the lines of a reflection of a person’s mistakes and them dealing with the consequences. Many people think it has to do with love but Esteban knew exactly what it meant so I was thrilled to help make his idea come to life.”

According to Hello Seahorse, the past few years have been a learning process, let alone the last couple of days with the swine virus and their album release around the same date have all been “overwhelming,” assures Oro de Neta. Nonetheless, the band is well aware that they have much terrain to set foot on, more albums to release and on a lighter note, more swine flu’s to ride out.

The video for “Bestia” can be viewed here on the Hello Seahorse Web page and although the tangible album itself recently saw the light of day in the Mexican republic, it will soon be accessible elsewhere.

Hello Seahorse is:
“Lo Blondo”
“Oro de Neta”
“Bonnz”

http://www.myspace.com/helloseahorse

 

 

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