David Caress, the new project from Dallas Seger, has premiered “Shatter” via New Noise Magazine, ahead of the debut album Azure, out independently on digital formats October 9.
Seger is the founder of Maine-based alternative metal trio Manic Abraxas and the owner and luthier behind Seger Guitars. David Caress is his turn toward post-punk, new wave and guitar-driven electronic music.
“Shatter” is the album’s closing track. Seger explains:
“Glass walls shatter. So does the illusion. ‘Shatter’ is a brooding dark wave/post punk anthem about those who shoot themselves in the foot and blame the gun. ‘Shatter’ follows previous single, ‘Azure,’ and sets the tone for a darker, more electronic chapter – cold synths, relentless beat, fast-picked guitars.”
Across twelve songs, Azure pulls from late ’70s and early ’80s post-punk, new wave and electronic music, with tracks like “Sunshower,” “I Confess” and “Break The Same” working that territory, while “Echoes” and “Wildflower” bring in touches of English roots rock and psychedelia. The title track sets the tone with punchy drums, glassy guitars and layered soundscapes.
The elemental sweep and isolation of Seger’s native Maine runs through the record, though the emotional register would translate just as easily to any post-industrial city. Lyrically it moves between noirish night scenes, sunlit vistas and the recurring idea that things are rarely what they seem on the surface. It looks backward without living there, keeping an eye on where guitar-focused electronic music might go next.
Azure was fully written, performed and recorded by Seger, with additional strings by Tom Bennett of Today Is The Day and additional arrangements by Justin Hamm of Dying Mind. It was mixed and mastered at Austin Enterprise by Steve Austin, also of Today Is The Day.
Pre-orders are live at Bandcamp, where the title track is streaming now. Videos and more from the record are due over the coming weeks.
Pre-order Azure: davidcaress.bandcamp.com
Photo by Michael Hallahan
