6/10

Over the last few years, Sea Girls built up their reputation for fresh and engaging pop-rock anthems with a conveyor belt of bold and impressive cuts. Their non-stop approach to live performances, laced with countless festival appearances, earned them a strong and devout fanbase and gifted their 2020 debut LP 'Open Up Your Head' a number three slot on the UK album charts. And after a few years not being able to tour as often as they once did, they spent the time in the studio working on its follow-up 'Homesick', a record that looks to continue their journey to date.

While the general aesthetic between the two releases hasn't really changed much, there is a definite and distinctive move towards a more progressive ideal on 'Homesick'. While they occasionally dabbled in a more pop-focused realm on 'Open Up Your Head', this new collection feels like a small step towards something more alternative in nature. Their songwriting remains a sweet and euphoric staple of their sound, but the production feels like it is leaning towards the more anthemic as it plays, showing that this is a band expecting to return to bigger and more enthusiastic crowds.

Not their most memorable or engaging work to date, but 'Homesick' still manages to keep the momentum moving forward and deliver something interesting for their audience to wrap themselves around. A subtle move towards musical evolution that hasn't quite moved out of its infancy just yet.