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Play Artful, the new record by The Double Headed Seagulls, releases August 28th, 2025.

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The seeds of the new are planted in the ashes of the old. In the case of Play Artful, the seeds originate from The Double Headed Seagulls' 2011 record Slimline, specifically the numerous, extra cassette tape recordings made during its years-long production process. Digital synthesizers, direct-to-interface guitars, and vibrant real-time feedback were all captured on tape and subsequently forgotten, waiting for the right moment to resurface. They were just begging for a new life beyond their original purpose.

Play Artful's manipulation of cassette fragments, lo-fi electronica, and jazz guitar chord modulation evokes the sounds of Pat Metheny's early self-titled record and Watercolors, as well as Brian Eno's Ambient 4: On Land and Music for Films, Four Tet's Everything Ecstatic, and Radiohead’s landmark 2007 album In Rainbows. This newest album by The Double Headed Seagulls demonstrates how old recordings can be reworked, revamped, and rearranged to create a completely new statement. The result bears a resemblance to the project's earlier work but introduces a more playful and childlike flair. While Slimline was serious and noisy, Play Artful is more propulsive, energetic, and imaginative. It represents a departure in tone and energy, yet remains close to their established core sound.

Play Artful is a fusion of dreamy jazz guitar chords, lo-fi electronica, and lush synthesizers, all combined in a vibrant and captivating manner. It consistently aims to surprise and delight listeners. The vibe evokes the image of creative kids with crayons drawing on the walls, with the parents rolling their eyes but loving every second of it.

Releases August 28th, 2025

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Slimline feels exactly what it's like to be in your own mind, totally aware of it, and not giving a damn whether or not anyone actually cares about it. You are deeply into your solitude, and that's all.

Musically, Slimline is a relatively noisy album but an ultimately human listen. Elements of IDM, experimental, ambient, big beats (at times), supremely layered guitars, and intensely personal.

For optimal listening, allow yourself to be over-caffeinated after the sun goes down. It's best to be around people, so go to a coffee shop that's open 24 hours and enjoy the ambiance.

Suggested activities: Write in a journal, do some programming, enjoy the process of doing some intensely detailed art. Completely ignore every other person around.

BONUS: Included is a PDF of the original name of the Double Headed Seagulls: The Arms Race. This was a document that I planned upon putting on a website somewhere, but just never happened (until now!).

The Double Headed Seagulls: Slimline

$9.99

A noisy album, but ultimately human. Best for late nights when you have nothing else better to do than concoct and execute harmless pranks on other people.

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The Double Headed Seagulls: Piano

Sale Price: $4.99 Original Price: $8.99

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Piano, by The Double Headed Seagulls, is a challenging take on minimalism and trance. Let the dorking out begin.

When you savor your favorite record from start to finish, time disappears. It’s no secret that us musicphiles fill our living rooms bursting with the music we love just so we can have that, over and over again. Although sometimes it’s easiest to grab only one track of an artist, it’s the sound of a sequence of songs that makes time disappear. We know it, and that’s why we’re snobs about music.

The most immediate benefit of listening to The Double Headed Seagulls’s record Piano is that each song builds a memory that takes a long time to disperse; the memory lasts a good minute into the next song. The transition between the songs is even more important than music itself. In music parlance, it’s the notes off the page that matter. This record is really meant to savored from one song to the next.

If you’re a dork about music, you’ll enjoy this challenging take on minimalism and trance, and it can be your on August 7th, 2012. If you’d like to be lazy and have info on Piano delivered to you, sign up to my email newsletter.

Here’s the track listing, in typical Double Headed Seagulls style:

1. 01
2. 02
3. 03
4. 04
5. 05
6. 06
7. 07
8. 08
9. 09
10. 10
11. 11
12. 12

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