Saturday, August 2, 2025

Flowing Upstream with Seims

Australian experimental rock project Seims’ new album, V,  is set for release on 10th October via Bird’s Robe Records & Dunk Records. The band has also issued their first single ‘Flowing Upstream’ from the long player that’s out now on Bandcamp here, with a video for the track to follow soon –  

The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Simeon Bartholomew, Seims has evolved into an explorational and formidable band over the course of several records, including their most recent release, Four, which saw them pick up a sizeable underground audience and launched them on tours around the world, including performances at ArcTanGent in the UK, Dunk! Festival in Belgium and supports for And So I Watch You From Afar (Northern Ireland), Sleepmakeswaves (Australia) and Delta Sleep (UK).

V is said to expand upon themes explored on Four and the album was written and produced by Bartholomew himself, engineered by Tim Carr (We Lost The Sea), mixed by Alex Wilson (Sleepmakeswaves) and mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering, Boston. As well as Simeon performing bass, guitars, synths, piano and vocals himself, it also features performances from Plini drummer Chris Allison, Sam Sheumack (Fangz) on slide guitar, Mark Owen (We Lost The Sea) on guitar, Nataliya Lukich on violins, Monique Turner on violas, Tangents/FourPlay member Peter Hollo on cellos, Tom Botting (Scoredatura) on double basses, Paul Murchison on trumpet & flugelhorn and Luke Bartley on tuba and sousaphone.

The only true thing I care about in the world is growth. If we’re not trying, we may as well not be trying at all,” said Bartholomew. “Seims has always had this at the core – try and do something I can’t. Play drums. Play piano. Mix an album. Sing lead vocals. Arrange an entire orchestra. Cross-pollinate as many genres as possible. Write a concept album. Play something in 14/8 but make it groove as if it were 4/4. Try to be a better musician. Try to be a better composer. Try to creatively push myself, and my skill set, with every release. Try to make the uncomfortable, comfortable.

“And now being a father to a gorgeous, independent, witty joker – Trying has so many new meanings. It’s about being able to be on the same plane as someone who has literally only experienced this planet for a mere four years. It’s also about dealing with your own inner demons in a mature manner – trying to role model not just who you are, but helping your child see who they could be. 

Flowing Upstream’ is exactly this. Getting thrown into the deep-end of the worst, and trying to embrace it – ending up somewhere new. ‘Abandonment Is Expected’ is all about dealing with the unintentional abandonment of thought from a child – constantly having the stream of consciousness change right before your eyes – and trying to make sense of the why. ‘My Memories Retain Nothing’ is all about trying to undo the faults of our parents and grandparents. And ‘Forever The Optimist’ – well, it’s all in the name, isn’t it?” he noted.

Bird’s Robe Records’ director Mike Solo declared:  We’ve been sitting on this for a long time and here it is: the brand new Seims album V.

“As always, it’s a stupendous effort from Simeon and his legendary team. I’m still a major fan of the last record Four and this one takes it up a notch. One louder, if you will. Please check it out and feel the spirit of post-math-experimental-rock take you on a journey.”

Paul H Birch
Paul H Birch
RAMzine Senior Writer - Writer of fiction, faction and fact, has edited several newsstand magazines. He declares himself a hack for hire but refuses to compromise on the subject of music.

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