Seafret have come full circle. The Northern duo – Jack Sedman and Harry Draper – took on the world, releasing debut album ‘Tell Me It’s Real’ in 2016. It’s a record dominated by their move to London, signing to a major label, and plunging head-first into an industry they could scarcely understand.
Now it’s just them. Seizing their independence, the pair have returned to their hometown of Bridlington to work on something fresh, something new, something true to themselves. “I strongly believe that we’ve needed everything that’s happened to us,” insists Jack. “We needed to move down there, we needed to move away from home, be independent, and survive in London… We needed all that. We’re back here now… we’re like homing pigeons!”
Staying off-grid, Seafret left fans in anticipation for their next move. “We’ve been in the studio a lot, we’ve been writing all the time,” reveals Harry. “We just wanted to come off the boil a little bit. We were going flat out.”
“That’s why we haven’t rushed into anything,” his bandmate adds. “We’ve always been writing, but right now it feels like we are in control, and it all feels right. It just made it all a bit fresher for us and it shows in the songs, I think. There’s a real progression from the first record which is a nice feeling.”
New EP ‘Monsters’ was produced – and largely written – in Glasgow alongside producer Ross Hamilton, a figure whose quiet involvement helped spur on their debut LP. The material extends outwards in different ways – still resolutely Seafret, it incorporates darker moods, different instrumentation, all achieved in an incredibly natural way.
Jack explains: “Whereas before we were shut in a box where we wanted it stripped and acoustic, now we’re into a lot of different music. We listen to all different kinds of stuff we never used to.”
“Our songs develop naturally,” Harry says, “and they’re all quite different. It shows off different parts of the types of music we’re working on – from rock to more electronic sounds, with heavier samples. It’s part of what’s to come from the next record.”
It’s a shift in approach, but also a shift in mood. Seafret feel that little bit more relaxed, but also more determined. “The first album was inspired by moving away and missing everything. But then we’ve come back, so this album will be different. The tunes are different. The tunes are exciting.”
Removing themselves from the corporate machine, Seafret aren’t answerable to anyone but themselves. “We’ve always tried to rebel against that,” Jack insists. “As soon as we came out of that pressurised zone I just started writing songs, because I knew I didn’t have anyone telling us to write songs – I was just doing it for me.”
It’s a return to DIY ethics, something Harry embraces. “The whole process has felt much more rewarding as we’ve really been hands-on and decided what’s going on,” he says. “We’ve had to organise it all. Everything that happens – even artwork, social media, all that stuff – we’re not paying anyone to do it any more. Everything we put out has been hand-crafted.”
The duo have never been so productive, and so in-demand; a handful of live shows will see out the summer, before Seafret begin to bring their new album into focus. “It makes you work harder,” Harry says. “And actually it’s freeing as an artist to know you’re just writing the songs because you want to write the songs”.
“And you’ll be playing those songs for the rest of your life!” Jack interjects. “That’s why you have to be careful with what you release.”
“That’s the position we’re in right now,” his band mate nods. “We both love and cherish what we’ve made. I can’t wait to get back out on the road – it’s been too long!”
TUESDAY 05 MARCH
THEKLA BRISTOL The Grove, Bristol BS1 4RB Doors 7:00pm Ages 14+
The North East of England is a place shrouded in tradition, installing a powerful sense of who you are in its residents. Hailing from the small town of Bridlington, Jack Sedman (vocals) and Harry Draper (guitar) chose the name Seafret for their music. As well as being a pun on the guitar fret board, it’s also a local term; it applies to the rolling mists that come in off the North Sea during summer.
Meeting at an open mic night, the two had distinctly different levels of experience. Though a few years younger, Harry Draper was an experienced local musician; Jack Sedman, meanwhile, had quite literally only just discovered his voice.
Despite this, the pair instantly hit it off. “We wrot…e our own songs straight out of nowhere,” explains Jack Sedman. “I’d never written a song before. I loved music but had never written it. We clicked instantly. That’s how we learned to write: through playing and the chemistry between us.”
The two share a debt of gratitude to their families: Harry’s father is a noted country and bluegrass musician, while Jack’s own father comes from a punk rock background.“I think that’s where it comes from, really” the singer continues. “Harry was massively influenced by his family and I was massively influenced by mine. So when we got together he brought all that to me and I brought all that to him. We shared everything.”
Honest and captivating , Seafret’s material has a beautifully contagious feel. Writing about life as it evolves around them, the two have a rare observational eye – though young, the world is not going to pass them by.
Retaining their love of open mics, the duo appears determined to win over fans one step at a time. “You get up and if you win one person over, that’s one more person,” Jack explains. “It’s all part of it.”
Honing their craft by playing along to their parents’ John Martyn and Tom Waits records, Seafret’s youth allows them to bring something fresh, something unheard. There are shades of The Lumineers, of Hozier’s heartbroken delta strum on upcoming EP ‘Give Me Something’.
“We never set out to just record one hit,” insists Harry. “That’s why we want something with more weight. People can get a grasp on what the band is about, rather than just one song.”
Ultimately, though, the duo are inspired by what they see around them – and what they miss most about being divorced from the North, in their new home of London. “It’s the sea. I miss the sea,” the guitarist says. “When you live there you take it for granted. I never missed it before. You don’t realise what it does to you when you’re there.”
Now living and working in London, this sense of dislocation only fuels Seafret’s determination to succeed. “It gives you a hard shell,” states the singer. “You feel like you’re no one in someone else’s land – which inspires you to get on and do it.”
SUNDAY 07 MAY
THEKLA BRISTOL The Grove, Bristol BS1 4RB Doors 7:00pm Ages 14+
Hailing from the small town of Bridlington, Jack Sedman (vocals) and Harry Draper (guitar) aka Seafret have just released their debut album, Tell Me It’s Real, at the end of last year on Sweet Jane Recordings / Columbia Records. First meeting at an open mic night a few years ago, the two had distinctly different levels of experience. Though a few years younger, Harry Draper was an experienced local musician; Jack Sedman, meanwhile, had quite literally only just discovered his voice.
Despite this, the pair instantly hit it off. “We wrote our own songs straight out of nowhere,” explains Jack Sedman. “I’d never written a song before. I loved music but had never written it. We clicked instantly. That’s how we learned to write: through playing and the chemistry between us.”
The name Seafret, as well as being a pun on the guitar fret board, is also a local term for the two boys; it applies to the rolling mists that come in off the North Sea during summer. Now living in London, the sea is what the duo miss the most. “When you live there you take it for granted. I never missed it before. You don’t realise what it does to you when you’re there.”
Honest and captivating, Seafret’s material has a beautifully contagious feel. Writing about life as it evolves around them, the two have a rare observational eye – though young, the world is not going to pass them by.
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