- PREMIERE: Eloah Jones – “Under the Bridge” - November 18, 2021
- PREMIERE: Highbeams – “Campfires” - November 10, 2021
- Tali Azerad Shines on New Album - November 5, 2021
One night a few months ago I found sleep evading me, so I decided to find a movie that might help me fall asleep. I chose one at random called I Melt With You with Rob Lowe. It began with a reunion of old friends at a picturesque house on the Big Sur coast. They partied, partied harder, then partied some more. The movie then took some weird and unexpected turns and, without spoiling it, I’ll just say some really crazy things happened and there was no happy ending…not even close.
The movie left me with a distinct feeling of “what the hell was that?” I wasn’t sure whether I liked it or I hated it, but it stuck with me. To this day I’ll randomly remember scenes from that movie. I’ll remember the impression it left on me. It was unbelievably gripping and memorable, partly because it wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
Utah duo Sego, now living in LA, recently released a piece of work that left a similar impression. Their debut EP Wicket Youth, out today, is an eclectic collection of songs that will almost certainly not be what you are expecting. Unlike the movie, there was no question whether I liked this or not. I loved the EP from the first note. It’s full of left turns, different from track to track, and refuses to settle down and fit into a “genre.”
I’m going to refrain from going in-depth on each song. It’ll take away from the overall experience of the EP and I wouldn’t be able to accurately describe the vibe (plus, I’ve already gone on far too long about an obscure Rob Lowe movie). I’ll simply say this: if you’re looking for something different in your musical diet, let go of your expectations and go get Sego’s Wicket Youth EP.
Whether we’re talking music, movies, or art — those that create something unexpected and unique from their peers are the ones that truly stand out. Call Sego’s style of music whatever you want, I don’t care to classify it and I doubt they do either. I’ll just call it what is is: one of the most refreshing releases of 2014.
Wicket Youth Track List:
1. Twenty Years Tall
2. Wicket Youth
3. Engineer Amnesia
4. False Currency
5. Parted Lips
6. Young Turks
GroundSounds caught up with Spencer to learn a little more about Sego’s background and their approach. Check it out below and stream their song “Twenty Years Tall.”
How did you meet and form Sego?
A) Real answer: I feel that every person as well as every project is a grand culmination of all former experiences. It’s impossible to pin down an exact moment when something became something. More of an incubation period followed by a visible (audible) manifestation.
B) Usable answer: Tom and I met years ago in Utah and have been playing in several different bands together through the years which brought us to Los Angeles. There came a time where it made sense to take the leap from supporting roles to making our own thing.
When did you move from Utah to LA? Aside from the obvious (population, weather, etc), what is the biggest difference you have noticed in the cultures?
We moved down a few years ago with a different band that fell into the classic chase-the-dream stereotype. I worked harder than I ever had touring, writing, recording, etc. during that period and learned a lot (mostly the hard way). It became clear that if I wanted to be rise above the noise in Los Angeles, I had to rise to higher echelon of quality and originality. Coming from the Provo music scene was a perfect proving environment. There is so much creative energy there and scene really supports what is happening. It felt like a family. But, this contrasted the ultra competitive terrain of super-saturation of hungry artists trying to get noticed in Los Angeles, was interesting. There are no fans in LA. Just other bands and industry people. Very foreign concept at first. However, we’ve had fun cultivating our own little micro scene based around our warehouse downtown. Come by some time.
Your debut EP Wicket Youth is out today, and one of the reasons I love it is how different it is and how unique each song is. I’m constantly being sent new music and most of it (good or bad) will fall neatly into a genre or category. When you guys write music, is there a conscious effort to “reject the expected” and think outside the box, or did this just naturally come out of your own creativity?
Yeah, I always get a chuckle out of reading peoples creative interpretations of what genres bands fall into. Our friends band just had a review that went on and on about a bubbling cauldron of brilliance, inescapable incandescent soundscapes, chemical reactions and so forth. I’ve certainly never started writing a song with the intention of incandescent outcomes. For the most part, the songs come from “What do I want to listen to?” and “What tools do I have at my disposal?” Sego is also the most honest that I’ve allowed myself to be in a project. I think that’s the most important element here.
What do you have planned for the rest of this year and early 2015?
Some west coast dates, some NYC/Toronto dates, working on new material, and getting out on as much tour as makes sense.
Sego – “Twenty Years Tall”
