[PREMIERE]: Sego’s New Remixes Are Like Beck 2.0
If you love the “talk-synth” (if that’s a thing?) music of last year’s Best Rock Album Grammy winner Beck, you’ll totally have a thing for Sego.
Their frontman Spencer Peterson is a younger, hotter version of Beck, with equally radical tunes and that sexy rhythmic half-singing half-talking thing we love so much.
Sego’s debut album, “Once Was Lost, Now Just Hanging Around” came out last year and has some of the best alt-rock tunes around including the infectiously sing-along-able-to chants of “Obscene Dream” to my personal fave, “The Fringe” — which includes perhaps the best lyric of all time, “everybody at this party is already over it,” chanted as part of the chorus. We dare you to try to get that one your of your head!
Today, we’re giving you a sneak peek of the awesome remix collection of Sego’s tunes, which you can hear exclusively on Soundcloud right here. From the dreamy, twinkly robotic sounds of “The Fringe” to the sick heavy distorted hiphop beat of “20 Years Tall,” this collection has something for all your moods.
Don’t forget to check out the “Stars” (Teen Daze Remix) which is perfect for those chill moments staring up at the sky finding yourself “living among the stars,” or the incredible transition in “Obscene Dream” from dance track to raw guitar acoustics, proving that Sego’s original melody stands on its’ own, even with no production.
And, bonus, if you need even more tracks for those feels you can’t contain, you can listen to the original thirteen tunes on Spotify!
Check out the tracks below, and then peep our Q&A with that hottie Spencer, below!
Why are you called Sego?
If you mix up the phonetics of Charles Barkley and Chet Faker, you end up with Sego.
Describe your genre in sounds and pictures.
VHS, distortion, composition notebooks, Encino Man
Let’s talk about the OG album “Once Was Lost Now Just Hanging Around” (before we get to the remixes) — is there any throughline to the album in terms of theme and the name?
Yes. This record essentially chronicles my life through transition. The track list and themes start with my experience living in Utah, wandering the country with bands, and ending up in Los Angeles. The band and album was born out of this feeling of loss of purpose and direction.
What would you say are your favorite songs from the OG album?
“Engineer Amnesia” and “False Currency.”
Were there any songs that ended up being super popular that weren’t originally your favorites? As in, do your fans find some of your so-called “b-sides” to be the true gems?
Pretty much all of the songs on the record were afterthoughts. I’ve always been surprised at the response that “Engineer Amnesia” gets in a live setting. You’d think, due to it’s subdued nature, that it would lose the audience, but it’s always the moment in the set when everyone hushes and starts paying attention. It creates a bit of a vacuum.
Do people ever tell you that they confuse the lyrics on “The Fringe” with “I’m a long long way from the FRIDGE?”
All of the time. A blog even posted “Long Long Way From The Fridge” when we released it. It’s understandable. We’re all hungry. We’re all confused.
Have you considered resampling parts of the Fringe to make a ringtone for bad parties, so it will say “Everybody at this party is already over it”?
I would consider it, but I’ll never stray from the original Nokia Tune.
What is “The Fringe” actually about?
The Fringe is exactly what you’d think it’s about: sitting on the couch, hungry, but so far away from the fridge. Kidding… These days it’s so hard to impress anyone. We’ve all been on both sides of this coin, but it makes it no less disturbing. Go to a show and count how many people converse.
Do people tell you that you sometimes sound like (and look like) Beck? Would you take that as a compliment or an insult?
Well, it’s flattering in that Jeff Beck was one of the most iconic, innovative, and influential guitarist of all time. He’s not quite the looker I’d hope to be compared to, but neither am I. I’ll take it…
Let’s talk about the remixes now. Which ones are your favorites and why?
We assembled this group of remixes from the album which were provided by some of our favorite musicians/producers and some of our best friends. The nice thing about it (for me) is how each person brought a distinctly unique approach to the song. It’s exciting to see these songs from different vantages.
“20 Years Tall” is pretty sick, as is “Stars” — which ones do you think fans will respond to the most?
I, honestly, have no idea what fans really want. As a fan of music, I’m often surprised by what resonates with me and what doesn’t. In the past I’ve dabbled in prognostication with little success. I had an epiphany while in one of my first bands in high school. I started approaching my songs (bass lines) with the question of “What would I listen to on repeat?” The answer at time was probably Primus or Chili Peppers, thus I wrote slap bass parts that scratched that itch. So, to answer your question….I’m not sure what people will like, but I’m flattered if they like it at all.
Since Sego is partially a marriage of older bands “Eyes Lips Eyes” and “Toy Bombs” — how do you think that informed your sound? Or how would you say “Sego” differs from “Eyes Lips Eyes?”
Playing with “Eyes Lips Eyes” was one of the most influential events of my entire life. Some of the best shows I’ve ever played. So much energy. So much fun. My style has inevitably been heavily informed (then and now) by Aaron, Tony, and Thomas. Sego has been much more of a personal endeavor, but can’t escape those roots. The gentlemen from Toy Bombs became family through the course of endless touring and shared toil and excitement. Having Brandon in the band has been a natural development.
What other bands/music are you listening to right now?
Girl Band, The Moth & The Flame, Ty Segall, Ata Kak, Mulatu Astatke, Franz Liszt, Swimm
If you could play an acoustic show like “MTV Unplugged”, what songs would you cover?
Prove My Love by Violent Femmes, In The Meantime by Spacehog, Man Who Sold the World by Bowie by Nirvana
Have you ever done anything using your musical abilities to convince a girl to go out with you?
I spent 10 years studying classical bass in order to get into the Philharmonic, meet a violinist, and take her to get frozen yogurt. Long play.
What has been one of your favorite travel destinations thus far and why?
Norway. They will give you a free strip search at the border. Pretty exciting. Pretty thorough. A little cold.
What’s next for you? Is there an upcoming tour?
We’ll be headed out to Europe in a few weeks and then back to the west coast after that. Workin’ on new tunes at the moment…. Always something on the horizon.
How Can we stalk you? Gives us the socials.
Twitter: @sego_music
Insta: @segomusic
