Elephant Seal is eager to share their sophomore album, Arrest Your Ascent, set to release December 15th. This introspective collection of songs explores themes of existentialism and the pursuit of contentment amid life's challenges.
Experimenting with new guitar and piano instrumentation and drawing from influences including Manchester Orchestra and The National, Elephant Seal develops intricate musical dynamics in this new offering, while staying true to their signature narrative-style lyrics. Opening tracks “Simulation” and "Redshift Horizon” introduce the listener to a confrontation between progress and diminishment. This is further explored in tracks “You’re Not Mine” and “Likeness”, where loss and acceptance take center stage. The final track “Simulacra” is offered as a response—that there can be meaning in meaninglessness, contentment in discontent. Recorded in Saskatoon, SK at Rainy Day Recording Co., Arrest Your Ascent was produced by Matt Stinn (GreenWing) and mastered by Trevor Case (Rita Ora, Jon Batiste).
With elements of post-rock, dark wave, and folk music, Elephant Seal’s long-form songs endear the band to a diverse fanbase. The band emerged onto the Saskatoon music scene with the release of their 2019 debut album, The Elephant Seal Song Company. This was followed by the release of “Fear to Fly” in Spring of 2021, which debuted at #3 at Valley FM Radio 89.5 in Australia, and claimed airplay in Europe and North America. After receiving a Creative Saskatchewan sound recording grant in 2022, the band headed back to the studio to record their sophomore LP. The first tracks “Redshift Horizon” and “New Felt / Maelstrom” were released in November of 2022 in honour of band member, Joshua Peters, whose life was tragically taken earlier that summer. They feature Joshua’s unparalleled talent and creativity as a drummer and musician. Over the past year, guest drummer, Brandon Webber, producer Matt Stinn, and vocalist, Reisha Peters, have accompanied the band in recording the remaining tracks, many of which had been written with Joshua.
