October 28th, 2014 
James Shotwell 
Artist: Seaway
Album: All In My Head
Genre: Pop Punk
I love a good album as much as the next person, but there is something far more exciting about stumbling across an almost perfect EP. When you only have four or five songs to work with, every note of every song matters. These releases can make or break careers, and in the case of Seaway’s latest release it seems an extended play may be just what the band needs in order to reach the next echelon of pop-punk popularity.
All In My Head is the Pure Noise Records debut from Seaway. The four-track EP offers a slew of memorable hooks and riffs that should incite deafening sing-a-longs in basements and VFW halls across the country, with heartstring-pulling lyrics to match. It’s the latest in a long line of pop-punk offerings released in 2014 by young men who are on the verge of achieving their dreams if only they can find a bit more success in one of the world’s most turbulent industries. They’ve sacrificed many nights, gallons of gas, guitar strings, relationships, and invaluable moments of youth in pursuit of something bigger than themselves, and with this release they are making sure everyone knows their name.
Kicking off with “Your Best Friend,” Seaway make a quick move to set themselves apart from the rest of their genre with a story about someone stuck in a truly difficult position. There are only so many songs about having to turn down a girl who also happens to be your current girlfriend’s best friend, and I would wager Seaway have delivered the best of the bunch with this effort. It’s a situation not everyone can relate to, but it’s presented in such an infectious way that you immediately want to sing along. “Alberta” lacks the initial catchiness of the opener, but it more than makes up for it with lyrical content. The couple at the center of the song’s story have a relationship anyone struggling to balance relationships and personal goals will be drawn to in an instant. The track doesn’t end with the impact I think it could, but it’s still a strong offering.
There is a slight pop-laden change of pace at the beginning of “The Let Down” that goes a long way towards keeping you engaged with All In My Head. Where the initial songs feel born out of influences from the current pop-punk culture, “Let Down” plays like something that could have only been created in the mid to late 1990s. It’s catchy enough for radio, but still firmly rooted in the world of alternative rock. If the album has a ‘hit’ on its hands, I think this is it. That’s not to say the other tracks, including the closer “If I Came Back To You,” are not great songs, but they don’t have the broad appeal that “The Let Down” possesses. In fact, “If I Came Back To You” offers something far more mature than that effort. It’s a track with a sound that is still well within the band’s usual bag of tricks, but the structure and feeling it evokes are on an entirely different level.
Four songs might not be enough to change the world, but All In My Head is more than good enough to change the amount of exposure Seaway receive moving forward. Not every song is a potential hit, but each track is bursting at the seams with more emotion and passion than the vast majority of genre titles to come across my desk in recent months. With a little more time on the road, as well as a few more months spent writing, I’m sure Seaway will be able to craft a jaw-dropping full-length that knocks this side of the music industry on its collective ass. Until then, All In My Head will serve as a constant reminder there are new kings on the rise in the world of pop punk.
SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written byJames Shotwell Follow @utgjames
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