The Third Eye

Seawind of Battery is a New York City-based cosmic country group that started as an outlet for Mike Horn’s experimental guitar work. Mike’s project now includes Jarrod Annis on lap steel guitar, and the group recently released a beautiful new live record, Symmetry, on February 2nd that’s filled with ambient country guitar explorations perfect to bliss out to.

Seawind of Battery first surfaced on Bandcamp in early 2022 with the single “Sidestepping” and then followed up with the summer of 2022 debut record Clockwatching, which was partially inspired by the “time on a loop” feeling of the pandemic. While Mike’s Seawind of Battery project hasn’t been around for long, he’s been involved in other projects. His indie-folk solo project, Goldkey, released several singles and two EPs between 2017 and 2021. Mike was involved in different collaborations, too, such as Static Traveler with Eric Lense and the psychedelic rock project Sunblinders.

However, a serious medical diagnosis that affected Mike’s vocal capabilities made him shift his musical focus. In 2020, Mike learned of glaucoma in his throat, which made singing and even speaking more difficult. As a result, he became more invested in his guitar playing and instrumental music, which was new territory for him. Seawind of Battery’s debut LP, Clockwatching (which was also released on Island House Records), is the type of music that kept Mike sane during the pandemic and gave him peace in a world filled with chaos.

Ambient music, in general, has become more popular since the pandemic struck precisely because of the reasons Mike cites. Clockwatching struck a nerve with many listeners eager for a refuge in our crazy, frantic modern times. I recently worked on a freelance article about ambient country and spoke to Bob Holmes of NYC-based ambient country band SUSS and Mike Mannix of Centripetal Force Records. We talked at length about ambient music’s healing qualities. Like SUSS, Seawind of Battery is another East Coast cosmic country/ambient country group making music to find relief.

The group’s new record, Symmetry, is a recording of a live performance in March 2023 at Room 31 (Arlo NoMad) in New York City. It consists of two long tracks broken up into Side A and Side B, ostensibly intended for the cassette that’s available. Mike Horn plays electric guitar, Jarrod Annis plays lap steel on both sides, and Ryley Walker contributes electric guitar on Side A.

Both sides of the performance are sublime and relaxing, offering a shimmering ambient country sound that’s experimental and deeply satisfying. You could call this acid folk, cosmic Americana, or maybe even “bootgaze,” but it doesn’t matter what terms are used. Symmetry is part of the growing ambient country movement that, for the most part, has roots in psychedelia if you dig deep enough.

It’s music that can be a healing balm and keep you centered, and even though it’s subtle, the shifts in tone and movement offer guitar-based explorations that are never boring. Side B especially has some psyched-out guitar playing and trippy effects that put the cosmic in the ambient country sound.

Head to Seawind of Battery’s Bandcamp page and check out Symmetry, available digitally and on cassette. You can also purchase the project’s entire discography of eight releases at a super-low price. Enjoy!

Check out Symmetry by Seawind of Battery on Bandcamp here.

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