Image by @grant_tyrell //

The evolution of Byron Bay four-piece Seaside sees them head into darker territory.

Hate to be one of those I-heard-it-first kinda people, but I’ve been barking on about Seaside for years now. Their music had this intriguing outsider vibe, as if they’d grown up listening to bands like The Bravery or The XX or Interpol, but couldn’t shake their idyllic coastal surroundings, creating something high-energy, immersive and dreamy at the same time.

Now, following a string of releases, national tours, huge support slots, and (of course) a global pandemic, they’ve returned with an expansion on that sound in the form of ‘We’re On Fire’. The track, which is their first new music since 2021, is punchy from the get-go, with thumping drums and cutting guitar lines kicking things off before the breathy and entrancing vocals of Darcy Dexter enter the fray.

The chorus is hooky as fuck, but it’s the verses that jump out at you. I’m not sure what the instrument used in the second verse is (an arpeggiated synth? a sequencer?), but it takes the song up another level, underlining the fact that this is a band that have trimmed all of the sonic fat and know how to craft a bloody tune.

“We’re On Fire is about the tug of war between two people in love, and the chaotic ball of lust and energy that is a relationship you are trying to keep from burning to the ground… Something in there will always keep you coming back,” singer and sometimes guitarist Dexter says.

You can catch Seaside launching ‘We’re On Fire’ into the stratosphere Friday 21st April at The Northern, Byron Bay. Don’t miss it, and follow them on IG here.