A young Nashville-based combo with a knack for detailed pseudo-Baroque pop,
Sun Seeker make their debut with the six-song
Biddeford EP on Third Man Records. Led by chief songwriter Alex Benick, the quartet have been actively collaborating since their middle school days, launching their current incarnation in 2013. After building up a reputation on Music City's indie circuit, Third Man signed them in 2016, releasing their excellent inaugural single "Georgia Dust" b/w "No One Knows" later that year. Aside from their fondness for laid-back '70s-indebted cosmic Americana,
Sun Seeker feel like a bit of an outlier on
Jack White's label, which is often more prone to fare of a scruffier nature. If anything,
Biddeford resembles the thoughtful melodic indie pop of the first two
Shins albums with an added layer of elegant,
Left Banke-styled orchestrations. The production is warm and the tracks deftly arranged with lightly psychedelic flourishes marking standouts like lead single "Won't Keep Me Up at Night" and the title cut. The songwriting is generally strong, planting the seeds for future creative riches from these up-and-comers. ~ Timothy Monger