Sargasso is Maria Campos Saadi, Thomas Hagen, Soledad Tejada and Noah Goodman, “four young people from three cities on two continents” working out of New Haven, Connecticut. The band have a varied sound, shifting styles and sharing vocals to give their songs a wide range of tones that draw on any number of influences, as typified by debut EP, Inlets.
Released in 2018, the collection introduced the Sargasso sound and hinted at its elastic potential, from garage rock crunch to cool Latin pop tones with lyrics in both English and Portuguese. This was developed further with a self-titled EP the following year, where electronic flourishes grew increasingly prominent and again the members shared vocals, and various singles which have since cemented the style. Be it the lush haze of Valentine’s Day release ‘Secret Compartment’, or the the breezy summer rhythms of June’s ‘Baianas’.
Today sees the release of a brand new Sargasso single, ‘Sacred Plums’, a track that again turns over new ground for the band. Taking inspiration from Slowdive’s textured shoegaze and adding some indie rock heft, Sargasso weave a sense of immediacy despite the gauzy atmosphere. Be it in the tip-toed quiet of the track’s small lulls or the cathartic blow-out of the closing minutes, there’s a disarming clarity—one heartbroken and tender and fierce.