Meg Golz, left, and Eve Wilczewski have been touring relentlessly while working on their third album.
Seasaw’s musical star is rising. In the two years since the Madison indie-pop duo released their well-received second album, Too Much of a Good Thing, band members Meg Golz and Eve Wilczewski have been touring relentlessly while working on their follow-up. They’ve played big venues and shared the stage with well-known acts, but they’ve also learned that the spotlight can be harsh.
Big Dogs, their new album out on Sept. 7, contains sharp, playful commentary on what it’s like to be women who make music. Or maybe it’s more of a callout — the duo takes aim at male entitlement and misogynist language with the title track. Inspired by an experience at a festival when a guy from another band was aggressively rushing Seasaw off the stage (while the band members were signing autographs for a little girl, no less!), “Big Dogs” opens with a crunchy guitar riff and a hooky melody that builds to the chorus: “Hey man, take it easy.” Bright synth and delicate percussion give the song a vibe that will feel familiar to fans of Seasaw’s previous work, but the harder, more plugged-in sound is present throughout the album.
As someone who loved the lighter folk-pop vibe of their last album, I wasn’t immediately sold on the new direction. The opening track, “Wolf’s Clothing,” is energetic but at times dissonant and the chorus struck me as a bit off-kilter. But after a few listens, it — along with the rest of the album — started to grow on me. Being more rock ‘n roll is a good thing, and the new songs make good use of the duo’s tight vocal harmonies.
A standout track is “God(zilla),” a brilliant song about facing fears and overcoming imposter syndrome. Conversational verses meet a soaring falsetto chorus that memorably declares, “I am the Godzilla of your heart.” There’s also a truly excellent music video that depicts Golz helping Wilczewski transform into Godzilla, which serves as a quirky allegory for embracing inner power.
While some songs tackle big themes, the album is stacked with tracks about love, life and friendship. “Pick Me Up” starts with urgent vocals over sparse guitar and drums before building to an extremely satisfying instrumental jam. The bouncy, synth-infused “Eight Grand” is impossibly catchy, and the deliberate, almost meditative “Perfect 10,” is a great slow burner.
The umbrella of indie-pop is a large one, but Seasaw is clearly comfortable stretching out underneath it, going in the directions that move them. And in Madison, they’re among the best at what they do.
