NYC's Ceylon Sailor release new single “The Tiny Wave”. Listen now
by The Experiment
Ceylon Sailor. Courtesy
Nudging slacker indie-rock forward is a delicate matter. Many a shambolic shaman has been cast out of the secret society for getting too clever with production, orchestration, or arrangements.
On its latest release, the tiny wave EP, Brooklyn-based 1990s indie-rock savants Ceylon Sailor take the risk, and edge outside the safe harbor. However, the six-piece band manages to somehow safeguard its ramshackle roots all the while sneaking in blow-your-hair-back country-rock vocal harmonies, a toxic threshold amount of yacht rock, and a hefty helping of 1970s power-pop. The title track single with its sunshine-flooding in choruses, pummeling drums, and balmy harmonies hints at what’s to come.
“I live in fear of prog,” laughs main songwriter KM Sigel. “We tried some new songwriting techniques and thought more carefully about melody. We worked hard to stay in that sweet spot where the songs aren’t too simple, but are just a little more interesting.”
the tiny wave boasts the distinction of being the first Ceylon Sailor release to feature the band as creative collaborators. Previously, KM wrote all instrumental parts (including horn lines) and played many of them himself, with Kieran producing. On the new EP, KM still wrote all the songs, and Kieran (whose credits include work with Sufjan Stevens and Angus and Julia Stone) again produced and mixed, but every member contributed ideas throughout the process. “Not to overly editorialize, but I feel like it’s necessary for a band to stay together that everybody has skin in the game,” KM says. “That was really important to me.”
The titular single, the tiny wave, was unearthed from KM’s pre-pandemic songwriting annals. Back then, it was earmarked for a new band Kieran was putting together that was set to rehearse in April 2020—we all know what happened next. Years pass, and KM wants to reconvene the band to record for a new release to keep up the group’s momentum. Kieran reminds KM of “the tiny wave.”
At the time, “the tiny wave” was positioned to be a scruffy Pavement-esque track, but collaborative creativity had other plans. With Kieran’s new rearrangement, Dave’s horn parts, and Andrew’s counterpoint keyboard lines, “the tiny wave became something different. It emerged a balmy, 1960s pop-rock anthem embroidered with chiming guitars, banjo licks (!), harmony-drenched choruses, and pounding drums. The songs loud/soft dynamics might be the only vestige of its slacker rock past. Its lo-fi take on an orchestral rock sound helped achieve KM’s ideal of creating something that feels both “small and big.”
