The AUX Return caught up with Wellington hard rock band Seismic State to discuss some recent occurrences with the busy band. They've just released two singles, back to back: 2 Homes and Blinded By The Sun. As well as talking about the lyrics and themes of each song, the band explained their writing process, dabbling in funk and who might replace them in an emergency (basically Led Zeppelin).
Seismic State is super busy, with more gigs lined up after their recent single releases, in both Wellington (to open for Death Chemist) and Napier's Cabana (to open for Bad Schematics).
Formed in early 2018 by former members of Auckland band Dirty Riot; Sai (guitar) and Liam (bass) were joined by Matthijs (drums) and Nicole (vocals & guitar) to complete the Seismic State line up. In late 2020 Rogina replaced Nicole on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the band quickly set about writing new material and booking shows. In June 2021 Seismic State supported Auckland rockers and Aotearoa Music Award winners Dead Favours for the Wellington leg of their Riffing & Yelling tour.
Seismic State’s debut EP, State of Things, was released in September 2019. All four tracks off the EP receive airplay on NZ radio and internationally with Genius, the first single, leading the charge by reaching #47 on The Generator FM’s weekly airplay chart for the week ending 31 May 2020. Genius also held down the #58 spot in The Generator FM's 2020 Kiwi 101 chart.
Their style mixes rock with elements of funk, blues, progressive and alternative; combining riff oriented guitar with melodic bass lines and driving drum rhythms to form a foundation for creative vocal melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. The result is an accessible and sonically pleasing brand of music not often found in the rock scene.