New album twinkmaxxing showcases the melodic, versatile production and poetic honesty of Montreal multi-instrumentalist seaboi. The project explores lust, relationships, and personal rebirth through a unique LGBTQ archetype. Blending atmospheric electronics with rock-ready guitars, seaboi creates an intimate, transformative chronicle of self-discovery within a tumultuous world.
A whirring array of electronics kickstart the album on “micro attractor,” which quickly shifts to an array of warbled, sporadic synth tones amidst seaboi’s heart-on-sleeve vocals. “I feel your eyes scanning me up and down, heart rate’s fast,” the vocals let out, depicting a smitten state of infatuation. seaboi’s knack for gripping tonal variety comes into clear view thereafter; the one-minute turn unveils a dreamier disposition in the starry-eyed synths and emotive vocal change, the mesmerizing vocals and heady synths combine for a sound reminiscent of Panda Bear. twinkmaxxing commences in excellent form with the dynamic, infectious “micro attractor.”
The ensuing “unfurling” embraces a rock-ready realm, its spirited guitar jangles and twangy layers bolstering lyricism that’s cathartic in capturing that fleeting, golden moment where self-doubt dissolves into a pact of mutual invincibility. “And you said, ‘do you, do you want to make it our world?’ / We’ll treat it like we’re, like we’re kings now and watch it unfurl,” seaboi sings, conveying an escapist allure where love prevails over tumult. “burrowing” is another gem with a rock-ready disposition, reminding fondly of Last Dinosaurs in its twangy appeal and expressive vocals amidst spacey synths — and also strutting moments of acoustic-accompanied lushness in building to more anthemic vigor.
Moody piano sets the stage on the compelling “askim,” where all-night yearning and bouts of insomnia center around “a thought of losing you again.” The album stirs in its perspectives of relationships in general, and on “askim” thoroughly succeeds in its retrospective lens, apologetic that “we never wrote our song” and using that analogy to render things left unsaid. A concluding gratitude for the time spent — “I’m so glad we found our stars aligned” — follows the melancholic reflection with appreciation for the time spent, even if it felt like it ended too soon.
Album finale “equinox” is also a resonating success, spanning a ballad-forward arsenal of piano and strings as the lyricism reflects a journey from collapse toward self-driven rebirth within a fractured world. “Let snow fall in crimson on equinox where it must,” the vocals push forth, conveying a state where beauty and violence merge to signal irreversible transformation. The album’s thematic traversals through lust, relationships, introspection, and loss ultimately convey a significant sense of personal change, and “equinox” epitomizes that transformation with an artful, memorable impact. twinkmaxxing is an affecting, melodic standout from seaboi.
twinkmaxxing releases on April 17th.
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