Record Sunday #3: Throwbacks in Seattle
It's late 2010 & early 2011 in the PNW
MAY 26, 2025: SUB POP ON 7TH, SEATTLE
There’s a Sub Pop store at Sea-Tac, and I really shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was to see it when I was walking through the terminal last Monday. Sub Pop is Seattle, Seattle is Sub Pop, etc. I should have been prepared. I’m not a light packer, so I wasn’t going to buy any LPs at the airport, and while the yellow coffee mug with the vintage logo had my eye, I don’t have room in my cabinets right now. But I made sure to note I was in Sub Pop Country.
Later Monday, Carlie and I were walking around downtown Seattle trying to find somewhere to relax — it was Memorial Day, which made it a little difficult — and we were close to the Sub Pop store in Belltown. We had nothing but time, so we dug around.
Like I said, I wasn’t going to pick up any LPs, though there were some good deals and the idea of buying In Utero in Seattle was tempting, I resisted (I also resisted a second go at the yellow coffee mug). But I dug through the 7” bin and pulled out two records that spoke to me:
“Never Come Around” b/w “Behind Your Eyes” by La Sera
“Sailing” b/w “I Saw You” by Seapony
Both of these singles are peak late 2010/early 2011. La Sera, of course, was the project of Vivian Girls bass player Katy Goodman, and the self-titled record released February 2011 was among my most played of the year. (I saw La Sera open for Tennis the next month after a not-very-good interview with Goodman that I don’t think I ever aired on my radio show). Seapony, meanwhile, popped up late in 2010 with the “Dreaming” 7”, which is a collection of three of the better songs of that era. I remember sitting in the Diner at Maryland in late 2010 writing up the 7” on Fresh Heirs. I really liked it. The 2011 debut, Go With Me, didn’t quite live up to the hype, but it still got lots of run from me.
The Seapony aesthetic was perfect for the time. The “Dreaming” cover art could easily be described as chillwave. Same with Go With Me. The “Sailing” cover art features a lens flare and the beach. Don’t discount the name, either. It was very of the time, but some of the songs hold up. It’s unfair to act like they don’t. And they had some good longevity. Members are still kicking around Seattle, and the band released its “Part Time Punks” sessions on vinyl earlier this year.
“Sailing” is a nice, low-key tune, while “I Saw You” ups the energy and tempo with a catchy guitar line. Seapony is a quintessential band for early summer when there are still some chilly days, there are open weeks ahead of you and the oppressive heat hasn’t settled in yet.
In a similar way, La Sera didn’t necessarily have the same staying power for me, but there were a few weeks in March and April 2011 when the self-titled was in heavy rotation. “Never Come Around” is a great song with a throwback girl-group beat and some good dynamic changes. “Behind Your Eyes” is a reverb-drenched track with more of a punk bent. The 7” is a good showcase of Goodman’s range.
Neither La Sera nor Seapony are bands that are on my mind too much. I might pull out the La Sera LP every March and give it a spin, and Seapony will pop into my head in late May or early June. The songs are solid. Maybe they get lost in the wash of time. Maybe the songs found their level.
But something I try to do in my record collection is paint a complete picture of my listening history, even if it was just a phase or a blip, and both La Sera and Seapony have their place in that history.
Previously on RECORD SUNDAY:
Happy Sunday, and I hope you enjoy RECORD SUNDAY today and in the future.
—D.G.