One of the best things about writing for The Sound 228 Magazine and Annie’s Awesome Rock Blog is discovering bands I’ve never heard of before. When I first got the assignment for the magazine to write about the band Waterfront, I admit they were one of those bands. But I jumped right in and drowned in this band’s wonderful music. Yes – the pun is intended.
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Waterfront includes: Dan Sequeira (singer); Benjaman Forseth (drums); Ryan Ross (guitar); Devin Taylor (lead guitar); and Tanner Cyr (bass). The band was formed in 2019 with Dan and Ryan along with two other original memers. Tanner and Devin came on board during the pandemic, and Ben joined in 2023 during the making of the band’s recently-released EP, Sleep In The Cold. Waterfront is a part of the Affiant Records lineup.
Waterfront had two other previous EPs prior to the new one. New Heights and Fever Dream were created over the course of 2020 to 2022. The band collaborated on those projects with Vancouver-based producers Garrett Ward and Dan Botch. The Sleep In The Cold EP was produced, mixed, and engineered by Quinn Cyrankiewicz and mastered by Mike Kalajian.
The song-creation process for Waterfront starts with focusing on basics such as the quality of melodies and chords, before building up around a strong core and delivering their collective Waterfront touch. Most ideas begin with Dan, but some also come from Tanner or Devin. Sometimes Tanner will fill in and “punch up” lyrics as they are finishing up a studio track.
I figured in order to properly describe Waterfront’s musical style, I’d go back and listen to their previous releases. I really enjoyed listening to their catalog. Their older music has more of a pop-punk vibe. The tracks on the new EP Sleep In The Cold definitely show a progression to a more intense hard rock sound. The band collaborated with Canadian metalcore band Gutter King on the third track, “I Wanna Run”. Fittingly, that song is the only one on the EP that includes some hard vocals. “Keeping You Alive”, the second track on the EP, and “The Catalyst”, the fourth track, both have stellar guitar solos.
When I first listened to the Sleep In The Cold EP while preparing to write this article, I was hooked immediately. This band’s music is so catchy. There’s an amazing energy in their songs that makes you want to keep listening on repeat. The dueling guitars combine in perfect harmony with the bass and drums to form a unique sound. Dan’s vocals are stunning with an incredible range.
The songs on Sleep In The Cold sare so relatable. They incorporate themes of uncertainty in a relationship, self-doubt, heartbreak and hurt when a relationship ends, and, in the final track “Atmosphere”, the hope that you can move on with your life after the pain ends. It’s almost as if the EP is a progression through the troubled relationship – the doubts, the anger, the sadness, and, finally, the triumph of moving on.
I wanted to go into a little more detail on the songs for this review. These are just my interpretations, but Tanner was kind enough to offer some insight.
“Ordinary Love” is about doubt and uncertainty about the future of a relationship. It’s also about admitting that the relationship is flawed – it’s become something “ordinary” when it should really be extraordinary.
I interpreted “Keeping You Alive” as being about a person who’s always the one helping someone else when they’re in trouble, but it’s not reciprocated, so they have to move on from that. Tanner adds, “We looked at it as being about a one-sided relationship of any kind – romantic or even friendship – in which the other person takes and takes and as a support system you give and give, but nothing changes. We kind of equate it to a vampire, always draining a willing victim time and time again to stay alive.”
Regarding “I Wanna Run”, I got out of it a theme of standing up against someone who is abusive in a relationship. This can be any kind of abuse – mental, emotional, physical. I was pretty spot on. Tanner says it is “about standing your ground and standing up for yourself” in whatever situation you’re in – whether it be a relationship or even getting bullied.
“The Catalyst” is about realizing how toxic someone really is and that you deserve better.
The current single off Sleep In The Cold is “Atmosphere”. I see this song as being about the hope of moving on after the pain ends and finding something better. There is a great video for “Atmosphere”. The video was made to reflect the EP art, which was created by Cameron Burns. In the video, the band is playing the song in a dark room with a shadowy, smoky ambience. There are parts incorporated throughout that were filmed in a local city forest park called Fish Creek Park. Dan is wearing a helmet, which is symbolic of the “astronaut” character from the EP art, but it also represents a vague state anyone can see themselves in.
“Atmosphere” has been added to two Apple Music editorial playlists and two Spotify playlists, while “Ordinary Love” is on two Pandora playlists and one Apple Music playlist. These playlists are a big deal because it means the band’s music gets more exposure, listeners, and spins, and is getting recognized by people who have connections in the music industry.
Waterfront has a show Thursday, April 18th with Cawston, Folded Hand, and King Fabbs at Modern Love YYC in Calgary.
Make sure to keep track of Waterfront, as they’re always working on new music! They can be found on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linktree, and the band’s website.
Sleep In The Cold EP track listing
“Ordinary Love”
“Keeping You Alive”
“I Wanna Run” featuring Gutter King
“The Catalyst”
“Atmosphere”
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