Secret EP

The times may have changed, but the tone hasn’t, at least when it comes to 90s indie shoegazers Sebadoh and their first release in a decade and a half, Secret EP.

This five song collection of new music from the trio lead by Dinosaur Jr bassist Lou Barlow sounds comfortingly like the Sebadoh of old – wonderfully scruffy and endearingly honest.

Sebadoh’s strength has always been in their simplicity and this is nowhere more apparent than on the beautiful Americana slow-burner “I Don’t Mind”. With layers of shimmering slide guitar, the song is warmly nostalgic yet firmly rooted in the present. Barlow skirts around recent heartbreak as he sings “If I don’t make the bed/It can set you off real good”, his wavering vocals delivered in trademark confessional style.

“Arbitrary High” and Pavement-inspired “Keep The Boy Alive” reveal where the rustiness has crept in after the band’s long period of hibernation – the melodies of both tracks sound slightly stale, despite their pattering drumming and busy guitar riffs.

“All Kinds” is a short, confident final flourish that brings the EP to a close, and Barlow could well be singing about his band’s second coming, as he triumphantly asserts “I may have waited too long/but I’m feeling animal strong.”

With the prolonged 1990s redux of late, we may be in danger of suffering from 20^th century fatigue, but this newest Sebadoh offering is a nineties revival with a contemporary perspective.

Though not quite equalling the tough melancholy of 1996’s Harmacy or the pop punk energy of 94’s Bakesale, Secret EP certainly recalls elements of these classic Sebadoh albums, and indicates that the band are well placed to deliver a solid forthcoming LP.

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