Sea When Absent

Sea When Absent
Studio album by A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Released	June 24, 2014 (2014-06-24)
Studio	Uniform (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Fantastic Imagination (Philadelphia) Jen Goma's apartment (Brooklyn, New York) Oxford Christmas Rat (Sydney)
Genre	Dream pop [1] psychedelic pop [2] shoegaze [3]
Length	47:13
Label	Lefse
A Sunny Day in Glasgow chronology
Autumn, Again (2010) Sea When Absent (2014)
Singles from Sea When Absent
"In Love with Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing)" Released: January 6, 2014 [4]

Sea When Absent is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band A Sunny Day in Glasgow. It was released on June 24, 2014 by Lefse Records. ^{[5] [6]}

The recording of Sea When Absent was financed through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. ^[7] The album could be streamed through Pitchfork 's Advance service from June 16 to June 23, 2014. ^[8]

Recording

While it was widely reported that the members of A Sunny Day in Glasgow were never in the same room while making Sea When Absent, the band has clarified that this was not the case. ^[9] Band member Ben Daniels said: "I think that's an angle that's kind of over-played, because for most of the recording we were all definitely in the same room. We live in different cities, but we would meet up in Philadelphia to go to the studio together. Then we'd go back to where we lived, and keep working on it, so there was a little bit of both." ^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.0/10 [10]
Metacritic	82/100 [11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
DIY	[12]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [13]
Exclaim!	9/10 [14]
The Guardian	[15]
NME	8/10 [16]
Pitchfork	8.5/10 [17]
PopMatters	7/10 [1]
Slant Magazine	[18]
Under the Radar	8/10 [19]

Pitchfork accorded Sea When Absent a "Best New Music" designation; reviewer Lindsay Zoladz found that A Sunny Day in Glasgow had produced a more sonically abrasive work than their previous releases, "but without abandoning the ambiance that makes them so distinct." ^[17]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Bye Bye, Big Ocean (The End)"	Ben Daniels Annie Fredrickson Jen Goma	4:17
2.	"In Love with Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing)"	Daniels Goma Fredrickson Ryan Newmyer Josh Meakim Adam Herndon	5:08
3.	"Crushin'"	Daniels Goma Newmyer	4:44
4.	"MTLOV (Minor Keys)"	Daniels Goma Newmyer	4:09
5.	"The Things They Do to Me"	Daniels Goma Meakim	5:07
6.	"Boys Turn into Girls (Initiation Rites)"	Daniels Meakim	5:06
7.	"Never Nothing (It's Alright [It's Ok])"	Daniels Goma Meakim	5:06
8.	"Double Dutch"	Daniels	1:33
9.	"The Body, It Bends (ペルセポネが帰ってきた!)"	Daniels Fredrickson Goma Meakim	3:45
10.	"Oh, I'm a Wrecker (What to Say to Crazy People)"	Daniels Goma Newmyer	4:08
11.	"Golden Waves"	Daniels Fredrickson Goma	4:10
Total length:			47:13

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. ^[20]

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

• Ben Daniels
• Annie Fredrickson
• Jen Goma
• Adam Herndon
• Josh Meakim
• Ryan Newmyer

Additional musicians

• David Kain – trumpet
• Joseph Kille – violin
• St. Spanky's Children's Choir for the Deaf – choir vocals

Production

• Ben Daniels – mixing, additional recording
• Jen Goma – additional mixing and recording
• Thomas Kee – mastering
• Josh Meakim – additional mixing and recording
• Jeff Zeigler – recording, additional mixing

Design

• Ben Daniels – photography
• Sabrina Franz – photography
• Annie Fredrickson – photography
• Adam Herndon – design, layout
• Ever Nalens – photography
• James Rickman – photography
• Corey Jacob Williams – photography

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [21]	42
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [22]	12

References

1. Korber, Kevin (July 8, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Sea When Absent". PopMatters . Retrieved May 17, 2018.
2. Cohen, Ian (June 20, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 20, 2014.
3. Sendra, Tim. "Sea When Absent – A Sunny Day in Glasgow". AllMusic . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
4. A Sunny Day in Glasgow. "In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing)". Bandcamp . Retrieved September 30, 2018.
5. "New Album 'Sea When Absent' Out On Lefse Records June 24!". asunnydayinglasgow.com. March 25, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
6. Gordon, Jeremy (March 25, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow Announce New Album, Sea When Absent". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
7. "A Sunny Day In Glasgow". Kickstarter. June 16, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
8. "Stream New Albums From A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Total Control Via Pitchfork Advance". Pitchfork . June 16, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
9. Gwyn, Phil (August 14, 2014). "Ben Daniels of A Sunny Day in Glasgow: 'It's more of a band now'". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved August 14, 2014.
10. "Sea When Absent by A Sunny Day in Glasgow reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
11. "Sea When Absent by A Sunny Day in Glasgow Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
12. Walters, Tom (August 1, 2014). "A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Sea When Absent". DIY . Retrieved May 17, 2018.
13. Goggins, Joe (August 4, 2014). "Album Review: A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Sea When Absent". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
14. Lindsay, Cam (June 20, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Sea When Absent". Exclaim! . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
15. Simpson, Dave (July 31, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Sea When Absent review – beautiful sonic collage". The Guardian . Retrieved May 17, 2018.
16. Cooke, Robert (August 8, 2014). "A Sunny Day In Glasgow – 'Sea When Absent'". NME . Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
17. Zoladz, Lindsay (June 24, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Sea When Absent". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 25, 2014.
18. Liedel, Kevin (June 22, 2014). "Review: A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Sea When Absent". Slant Magazine . Retrieved March 3, 2021.
19. Kohn, Daniel (July 28, 2014). "A Sunny Day in Glasgow: Sea When Absent (Lefse)". Under the Radar . Retrieved May 17, 2018.
20. Sea When Absent (liner notes). A Sunny Day in Glasgow. Lefse Records. 2014. LEFSE 065-2.
21. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
22. "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . July 12, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2021.

External links

• Sea When Absent at Discogs (list of releases)