‘Salt And Seagulls’ By Strange Pilgrim Takes Us Back To A Largely Illusory Time Of No Worries

Set for release tomorrow, March 6, ‘Salt And Seagulls’, by Strange Pilgrim, will have you in the palm of their hands right from the very start.

Also featuring Paul Dutton, Adam Nash, Pat Spurgeon, Sterling Schlegal, Taylor Belmore, and Joel Tolbert, Strange Pilgrim is the side project of Oakland-based Joshua Barnhart, known for his work with Port O’Brien, which also featured another artist we’ve written about here on EP, Caleb Nichols, of Soft People.

A shoegaze style, trancey song, ‘Salt And Seagulls’ is chilled and relaxed, and will instantly soothe away any tensions you may be feeling. The laid back vocals of Josh Barnhart, are both mesmerising and calming, transporting us to a time when the world was a less troubled place, such as the home movies from 1974, which feature Josh’s father, Roberleigh Barnhart, and his family.

The reality of course, is that times weren’t that different back in 1974. The USA was still fighting the Vietnam War, and the threat of nuclear attack was on the horizon. The country was in the midst of an energy crisis, which saw Daylight Savings brought forward four months early. Also in 1974, Nixon was forced to resign from the Presidency, because of his role in the Watergate Scandal. Times weren’t easier indeed. But listening to ‘Salt And Seagulls’, and watching the video, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a time of never ending summers and all year round vacations. And why not.

There’s a lot of comparisons to draw from ‘Salt And Seagulls’ and the world we’re living in now, in 2020. We live in uncertain times, and we long for freedom from the seemingly never-ending spiral of craziness that is going on all around us in society, in politics, the world in general. But watching the video, and listening to the sweet harmonies of Strange Pilgrim, ebbing as gently as the tide, we realise the world isn’t too different now to how it’s always been. And the people then got through it…so we shall too.

‘Salt And Seagulls’ is out tomorrow, March 6, and will be available everywhere on digital media. You can find out more about Strange Pilgrim and their music online on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Strange Pilgrim - Salt and Seagulls (Official Video)

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com