Sea Power – Everything Was Forever

While their title may have shortened, Sea Power's aspirations expand with 'Everything Was Forever'....
Sea Power : Everything Was Forever
8.0 Golden Chariot
2022 
Sea Power : Everything Was Forever

British Sea Power long embraced the past & future, the near & far, including a notable internationalist streak such as in pro-EU expansion song “Waving Flags”, to recently dropping the “British” from their name, to get away from any implications of today’s nationalist/Brexit ideology. While their title may have shortened, their aspirations expand with Everything Was Forever.

It has to be noted the world situation that Everything is being released into, this review being written as Putin’s tanks invade democratic Ukraine, as there are few musical acts this side of Pussy Riot more ideologically and thematically in opposition to such war-making than Sea Power, who have in particularly embraced post-Cold War new European dream. Even the title of the new record comes from a book on the end of the Soviet Union. As much as they have songs about tiny Sussex churches and faded English football clubs, Sea Power reaches out to all shores.

This is all perhaps best exemplified on Everything by single “Two Fingers” (QRO review), the band’s expansive hope shining through. As much as the group brings pressure to bear on songs like “Transmitter” and “Doppelganger”, there is still a bright inspiration throughout the album. They extol the “Green Goddess”; they proclaim that “We Only Want To Make You Happy”.

Sea Power has long had a philosophical streak, such as on their recent BAFTA Award-winning soundtrack to the quite philosophical hit videogame Disco Elysium. But even in these dark times, thankfully their hope shines like a lighthouse on Everything Was Forever.

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