Calgary Rockers Sea of Lettuce Capture Breezy Vacation Vibes on “I Gotta Know” From Any Day Now Album
On their new single “I Gotta Know” – available now – Calgary-based indie rockers Sea of Lettuce practically roll out your towel and hand you a piña colada. Such is the beachy-ness of their vibe, which conjures ocean breezes, warm sun, and total paradise.
Spending seven days in heaven
Just about every week
This really got me thinking
Maybe you’re meant for me
I never thought that it could be like this ’til now
Full of easy beats and heavenly harmonies, “I Gotta Know” is part of a larger theme of relaxation in spite of struggles on Sea of Lettuce’s upcoming new album Any Day Now, which began to develop during a vacation band member Daniel L’Amarca took to Hawaii.
“While on this trip away from my day job, many of these thoughts and feelings about the future crossed my mind,” L’Amarca recalls. “The thought of returning home and diving deeper into a monotonous career while slowly fading away from my true passion of making music started to surface.”
Thus Any Day Now is infused with a beachy sound throughout, from the surf-inspired, pulsing opening track “Future Endeavours” to the tropical guitar line on “I Gotta Know.”
“The pressure that comes in your 20s to start figuring out your long-term plans played a central role in the development of this project,” L’Amarca said. “Conflicting emotions about thinking of the future while trying to stay grounded in the present can be found throughout the album.”
The title Any Day Now was the final piece that brought these concepts together, representing the overall sense that it’s only a matter of time until the uncertainty in our future gets resolved – and, therefore, relaxation really is possible.
Coming from a cold basement in Calgary, Alberta, Sea of Lettuce is an alternative group with a fresh spin on the genre’s typical sound. Having formed in late 2016, this group of longtime friends have released three full-length albums and two EPs. The band consists of Daniel L’Amarca (producer/bassist/keyboards), Wojtek Musial (vocals, rhythm guitar), Dylan Hameluck (lead guitar), and Caolán Ayres (drums).
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey there, my name’s Daniel L’Amarca and I am the producer and bassist for Sea of Lettuce! I started this band with our lead singer Wojtek back in late 2016, with the two of us spending those early days recording lo-fi covers of our favourite songs on GarageBand. While we fit in well with the indie-rock classification, over the years we have developed a unique beachy sound that feels like it fits best on a summer day. We have gone on to create a discography consisting of 2 EPs and 4 full-length albums, including our brand new album “Any Day Now” which just released this June!
“I Gotta Know” has a distinct beachy vibe. How did the song come together?
The sounds of “I Gotta Know” that evoke the beachy feeling really come from the driving, tropical guitar lines, and bouncy percussion found throughout the track. This song was actually a long time coming, as the main guitar riff had been recorded years ago – we had even released a few singles and an EP in the years after. With how much I liked the sound, I never wanted to abandon it and had been thinking of ways to bring it back to life for quite a while. Once the track started coming together in full, we knew the vibe of “I Gotta Know” would end up setting the tone for the rest of the album. This is what helped us create a cohesive vision and sound for the full project, and is one of the primary reasons it served as the lead-up single to the album as well.
Daniel, you mentioned the album started developing during a vacation in Hawaii. How did that experience shape the direction of the album?
While in Hawaii, I had lots of positive feelings due to the sunny surroundings and stress-free environment. However, along with this came a lot of time to think about where the band currently stood, and the prospects of what was waiting for me when I returned home. I felt like I was at a pivotal point in my life where I might end up diving deeper into a monotonous career path while drifting further away from music. These thoughts and feelings informed the general theme found throughout many of the tracks on the album regarding indecisiveness and uncertainty about the future. The influence of the beachy environment definitely played a part in the development of the instrumentals as well, leading to a final product that feels like it’s meant for warm weather days and the outdoors.
What role does each band member play in the creative process, particularly in crafting songs like “I Gotta Know”?
The creation and recording of the instrumentals for tracks such as “I Gotta Know” is primarily done by myself, with Wojtek stepping in during the lyrical process. We often come together at this stage to supplement each other’s ideas and develop stories within the songs, pulling from our personal experiences to craft something that fits with the instrumental and enhances the overall sound and feel. An important element of my creative process is to go into any project with no expectations or limitations on what form the final product could take. Whether it’s a one-off single or a full-length album, part of the fun is surprising yourself with what you create, so it is essential to go in with the mindset that you are not bound by any particular sound, style, or format.
Are there any Canadian artists or bands that have influenced your sound or style?
In the early days of the band jamming in high school, Mac DeMarco was definitely one of the artists that we had a shared interest in that helped spark our desire to start recording and releasing our own music. He had a super unique sound that became pretty influential in the 2010s and early 2020s, and it played a part in growing our own passion at an age where we constantly were on the hunt for new music. Seeing other Canadian bands such as The Sheepdogs or The Trews live at places like the Calgary Stampede also increased the desire to pursue music even further. Canada has been spoiled with some great music over the past few decades, and we hope to contribute to that with our own music too!
Upcoming Shows:
07/08/2024 – Album Release Party – The King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
07/14/2024 – NXNE Festival – The Garrison (Toronto, ON)
07/22/2024 – Sled Island Festival – Pinbar (Calgary, AB)