PREMIERE | Gretta Seabird, "Surface Talk"
Climbing the cliffs of conversations, experience, outlooks, emotions, expressions, etcetera, with Lee McDonnell of Gretta Seabird; photographed by Jen Timmer Trail.
In a world where we are bombarded with content creators, influencers, so-called angel investors, VC goons, and start-up founders who act like the world revolves around them — we have reached peak insufferableness. Even at a time where constructive and conscious action is needed more than ever, callousness and carelessness are the modes of operation that have occupied much of our current conversations. We contend with crises instigated by both human folly and nature, and almost as worse are the pundits and armchair self-professed professionals who love to mansplain away with the fervor of an expert charlatan. The clamor is inescapable, from our social media feeds, watercooler convo, dive bar dissertations, coffee shop chats, exhausting family debates, to even just casual kibitzes with acquaintances.
Cutting through the idle and self-important chatter is Gretta Seabird with the debut of the punchy and pointed “Surface Talk”. The creative duo of Lee McDonnell and Jeremiah Brunnhoelzl collaborate across two distinct corners of the American landscape with Lee residing in Portland, Oregon and Jeremiah in Brooklyn; creating charged and personal pop that dearly rocks from the reckoning and reflection pools of life. The latest single from the forthcoming Cycling EP takes on the superficiality of contrived conversations in a song that yearns for something deeper and more relevant to the natures of reality. Known for previous acts such as McDonnell’s Lee and the Bees, Bevelers, and Brunnhoelzl’s work as Arlo Indigo — together they combine their talents to create ultra sharp tunes that are delivered with a high def crispness that cuts with lyrical wit, wisdom, and realism.
“Surface Talk” surfs through the noise of human discourse. Gretta Seabird portrays the inner experience of suffering through the mindless and vacuous banter of anyone who has ever had to schmooze about during a cocktail hour, mixer, networking meetup, and what have you. Lee and Jeremiah create a keenly crafted pop sound that plays about in the consciousness of a patient listener that has to withstand the all-important/self-important soliloquys of folks who think of themselves as a pretty big deal while wondering when the monologue will draw to a close. “Surface Talk” is a ballad for everyone that seeks greater substantive dialogues with people. Beyond wanting the performative rants to be over, “Talk” asks for something more. Something genuine. Something that is not rooted in the sands of someone’s else insecure contrivances in projecting their own delusions of grandeur (think every single crypto bro that has cornered you into exhaustive lectures about block chains being the future of finance).
The song takes on even greater resonance as Lee regains and reclaims her singing voice after having lost it for a year during the pandemic. The result is a song that shines as an example of a practically perfect pop song that clocks in under the two and a half minute mark. Lee and Brunnhoelzl together push for an awareness in how we engage with folks out in the world. The moral is an advocacy for more mindfulness in our exchanges, a reminder to talk with one another as opposed to at one another. While the weirdness of our modern age trends toward more insular behaviors, it is important to remember that ultimately we all dwell in a shared sandbox called humanity with a lot of collective insights to share.
On the line with Gretta Seabird’s Lee McDonnell; photographed by Jen Timmer Trail.
Lee McDonnell provided the following meditations on the creative praxis behind “Surface Talk”:
My bandmate, Jerry, sent me this track fully fleshed out with drums, bass and guitar. I had a hard time writing lyrics over it because the song was only 30 seconds long.
Two months later, we finished the song in the studio while we were tracking for the EP (36 hours and 6 songs later). It's rare, but when it was time to record, I really felt the pressure to do the song justice.
The trees, the leaves, the sky, the sun, the sky, and Gretta Seabird; photographed by Jen Timmer Trail.
The song itself, reflects how some people can come off as high and mighty or get blinded by their own pride, and they end up speaking in shallow, surface-level ways. Eventually, that just doesn’t hold up and people can see right through.
“Surface Talk” arrives April 11.
Catch the artist on the following PDX dates:
April
11 - Portland, OR | Mission Theatre
17 - Portland, OR | Turn! Turn! Turn!
26 - Portland, OR | Cravin Gravy Social Club