Qulture Magazine

Sean Hamilton is a young indie singer-songwriter from Fife, who has just released his new EP ‘Dark Fantasy. The EP chronicles his emotional response to an abusive relationship, seen from an outsiders point of view. I gave it a little listen to see what each track has to offer and how the EP as a whole, comes across.

The first track on the EP is a short instrumental tune, aptly called ‘An intro to Dark Fantasy‘. It definitely lives up to the title with its dark industrial undertones and deep whining electric guitar which almost sounds like the opening titles to a gritty cop drama. It’s the perfect opener to introduce the serious subject matter of the tracks to come. It also ties in nicely to the fourth track which is ‘An interlude to a Dark Fantasy‘ and streamlines the journey through the record.

‘Redrum‘ is the second track, and the lyrics in this  song are what really stood out for me. You can hear the anguish, thoughts and emotions that go through a person’s head when they are witness to abuse. The justice they would like to be served on the abuser and wanting to make that person feel the same amount of pain that they are inflicting on their victim. It’s a very poignant track and reminds me of early music from bands like The Stone Roses.

Third track in, and we come to ‘Soul Sister‘ which is almost like a carry on from Redrum, in the fact that the lyrics also reflect a person wanting to seek revenge on the abuser and ‘ruin their name’. It opens with a lot of reverby guitar and goes on to build into clever licks and riffs that pave the way for a gear shift in the last two tracks of the EP, which are more melodic and reflective in theme.

The last two tunes on the EP, are ‘Here She Goes Again‘ and my favourite track, ‘You Can Come Back Home‘. Almost every song on the record, features experimental elements from John Gowans and Sean Hume from upcoming band the Castros who are also making big waves in the Scottish music scene at the moment.

You can really hear all of the different instruments in ‘Here She Goes Again‘. I like that everything has its place and you can individually pick out each element, but they also really work together to build the tension in this track. I liked, what I  think are underlying banjo and harmonica, as they played hand in hand to give different tones of uplift and then sadness within the tunes journey.

On to my favourite track ‘You Can Come Back Home‘ and I feel as a listener, you could take the meaning of this song in different ways depending on your own personal experiences, and for me I sort of looked at it like the family welcoming the victim back to their family home and reassuring them that there was always a place for them no matter what. Almost urging in nature, for the person to leave their abuser and be safe again.

I felt the sadness in this song, but also the possibility of a new chapter and light at the end of a dark tunnel. I really think that Seanico has a brilliant song writing ability, both lyrically and instrumentally, and is definitely one to watch on the Indie radar. I could see his style of music being a hit at festivals like Trnsmt and Glastonbury…I’m sure both of which would be a dream to play for the young talent, should the opportunity arise!

Seanico is headlining a SOLD OUT show at Kirkcaldy Kings Theatre on 11th April for his EP launch.

You can also listen to the new EP below: