Emotional nuance quivers on the clear, fresh, instantly adhering siren song of Sydney Wright. Re-emerging on the local scene last fall after a summer hit-and-run left her broken, concussed, and ultimately held together with rods and screws, the local singer/pianist/guitarist emerges on debut Seiche bruised but unbowed. Rather than a physical delicacy, it’s the Snyder native’s heart exhibiting trauma, yet she’s no simpering romantic. Opener “You Can Stay” (“wherever you are”) sets a resilient tone through a sonorous croon whose secret weapon remains an addictive high note. Moreover, Wright’s a gifted lyricist, demonstrated on the skipping cadence of succeeding spelling bee “Tip.” The neon ripples of closing-time pulse “Time of Night” offer a master class in memorable wordplay (“I won’t be with you when you leave/ Could’ve been my brother but you misconceive”). Electro bomp-pop that simmers balladic (“Let You Let Me Go,” “Let Me Stay”), Seiche could be summed up by “Something”: “Not proud of the hearts I broke/ Pack it up and keep my head low/ Won’t settle for anything less than the love I know.”
This article appears in April 5 • 2019.
