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Hear the Helio Sequence’s Full Seismic ‘Negotiations’

The Helio Sequence / Photo by Pavlina Summers

Three years ago, the Helio Sequence were on tour when they received some bad news: a spell of heavy rains back home in Portland had sparked a plumbing disaster that flooded the duo’s studio and practice space. Though their gear was spared, they were forced to set out in search of a new place to work, eventually happening across a spacious, converted break room in an old warehouse. The extra square footage afforded them the opportunity to experiment with different equipment, and when they settled down to write and record Negotiations, their fifth full-length and latest for Sub Pop, the duo (singer/guitarist Brandon Summers and keyboardist/drummer/one-time Modest Mouse touring member Benjamin Weikel) decided to ditch the sleek digital textures that have defined much of their work up until now for a setup that features vintage synthesizers, reverb, and microphones. The result is perhaps the most inviting inviting record they’ve crafted to date, a warm, humid, seismic set of songs that bridge the gap between the Walkmen and Radiohead. Hear it in its entirety below.