Messed!Up
Some bands spend years trying to escape their past. Seahaven seem content to embrace it.
When we caught the band from Torrance, California at Hamburg’s Nochtwache during their recent Winter Forever 15th anniversary tour, the atmosphere felt less like a celebration of nostalgia and more like a reminder of why the band continues to resonate after all these years. Performing Winter Forever in its entirety before diving into newer material, Seahaven sounded like they never left, like they never took those years off in between. Almost like a time capsule. In addition to looking back, the band also played some of their new singles which sat naturally alongside the older catalogue. That balance between reflection and forward momentum is also at the heart of the band’s forthcoming self-titled fourth album, due for release on June 5th via Pure Noise Records.
As vocalist and guitarist Kyle Soto explained during our conversation in Hamburg, the record was approached with a sense of purpose that naturally comes with looking back on everything the band has created so far. “Sonically it feels like a pretty well-rounded representation of what the band has done up until this point,” Soto says. “There is a little bit of that pressure like, ‘Is this the defining record?’ so there is a little bit of apprehension but at a certain point you’ve gotta jump off and just make the move.”
That sentiment runs throughout the album. Rather than chasing trends or reinventing themselves, Seahaven have distilled the different elements that have defined their career into something cohesive. Written primarily by Soto and recorded alongside guitarist Cody Christian, bassist Mike DeBartolo and drummer Eric Findlay, the album brings together the emotional honesty, melodic ambition and atmospheric textures that have become synonymous with the band’s sound. The recent singles “February Flowers,” “Midnight Hour” and “Infinite Blue” offer a glimpse into that approach. Each track feels unmistakably Seahaven, yet there’s a confidence and clarity running through the material that suggests a band fully comfortable in its own skin.
One of the more fascinating aspects of our conversation with Soto and Findlay centered on the visual world surrounding the record. According to Soto, the album artwork, music videos and lyrics all contain interconnected themes and recurring imagery. Rather than presenting straightforward narratives, Seahaven have deliberately layered visual and lyrical motifs throughout the project, inviting listeners to engage with the record on a deeper level. The clues are there for fans willing to pay attention, decode the references and uncover the connections between songs, videos and artwork.
While the record’s visual language offers one lens through which to understand Seahaven, spending time with the band revealed another equally important element: the relationships that underpin everything they do, that undeniable brotherhood. While many bands speak about feeling like family, Seahaven’s bond genuinely stretches back decades. Some members have known each other for nearly thirty years, having met as young children long before the idea of forming a band entered the picture. That shared history is difficult to manufacture and perhaps explains the natural chemistry that defines both their live performances and recorded work. As mentioned earlier, it’s like they never left the stage, or the practice room.
The self-titled album feels like an extension of that certainty. Not a reinvention. Not a comeback. Simply a band taking stock of everything they’ve built and presenting the clearest picture yet of what Seahaven sounds like in 2026.
If Soto’s assessment is correct, this may well be the record that defines Seahaven. Either way, it is undoubtedly one that captures them at their most complete.
Seahaven is released June 5th via Pure Noise Records.
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Seahaven: ‘Seahaven’
