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After years travelling the world and exploring many of the different avenues that life has to offer, Fiona Horne returned to Australia during lockdown and re-ignited an old friendship with The Hellmenn’s Dave “Spiff” Hopkins that goes back to their days as surf/skate punks in Sydney in the 80s.
That’s the spirit and sound that pervades this debut album for their band Seawitch, a record that brings together stoner grooves, 90s alternative vibes and surf rock with psychedelic freak outs and Horne’s deep understanding of the esoteric. Witches Forever enters the frame with echoes of Jane’s Addiction before the groove kicks in and the band lurches into 70s-flavoured classic heavy rock. Force goes further with hearty stoner riffing and Horne’s distinctive melodic vocals double- and triple-tracked for maximum effect.
The danceable funk of Shadows recalls the snappy techno-surf-punk of early Def FX tune Space Time Disco while Dark Knight takes a slower trudge with a tribute to Hecate. Esbat builds from a slowburn to driving hard rock; Flowers is a glistening, slightly unconventional power ballad with Horne turning on a shimmery vocal display. The big surprise is Momento Mori, where Seawitch turn in a credible Patti Smith Group-like six-minute garage jam to add further flavour to what is a tidy album of good, catchy hard rock songs. It’s been many years since Fiona Horne has made new music, but with Seawitch she has found the magic(k) again.
