Dear Seattle: The Five Biggest Signs of Growth on New Album 'Someday'

Dear Seattle released their debut album, Don’t Let Go, in the early months of 2019. Issued via indie label Domestic La La and co-produced by label founder James Tidswell, Don’t Let Go was an album of hooky alternative rock, which got an early endorsement from triple j.

More than three years later, Dear Seattle have returned with their second album, Someday. The partnership with Domestic La La remains in place, but Someday boasts production from Scott Horscroft (The Sleepy Jackson, Middle Kids). To coincide with the album’s release, vocalist and guitarist Brae Fisher reflects on the personal and professional growth that contributed to Someday.

Dear Seattle’s Brae Fisher on How the Band Has Grown

Happy release day to @dearseattleband!! Their new album 'Someday' is OUT NOW and we are so proud to put it out. Turn it up!! pic.twitter.com/Uaz02hIEqM

— Domestic La La (@domestic_lala) September 1, 2022

An Appreciation of Oneself

In the era of Don’t Let Go, I hadn’t yet learned how to take pride in myself and what I have achieved. I was always self-critical and fixated on who and where I should be. Throughout the creation of Someday, I’ve come to learn that growth doesn’t come from intent, it comes from action.

It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking about where and who you want to be, but the tendency to think ahead like that rarely makes a difference. True change comes from an appreciation of who you are right now, the good and the bad, then taking pride in each small step forward from there. It’s about being proud of yourself and what you’ve achieved in real time.

A Maturity and Nuance to Songwriting

This time around, we wanted to fixate more on depth of meaning and less on surface level hooks. We still love Don’t Let Go, but I think it left us craving songwriting that tackled more substantial concepts. We wanted people to feel like they could find something new that they loved about a track every time they heard it.

Our favourite songs are the ones where your love and appreciation for it develops over time, as opposed to on first listen. So, we decided to take a step back from writing radio-ready singles to focus on the depth of meaning in the songs, so that they grow with the person listening over time.

True Patience

The last few years have been the biggest test of patience imaginable. We went through all the stages of indecision, hyper-fixation, over-analysis and second guessing before we got to the point where we signed off on the record. Then came all of the postponements and delays.

Some of these songs were written three years ago, which is an eternity in your 20s. So it wasn’t easy, but I think we’ve all become more patient people and are more accepting that things will happen when they’re supposed to.

Collaboration is Key

During Don’t Let Go, we were still figuring out how we worked best as a band. We’d never taken on something as big as an album before and with that comes its own challenges. This record felt far more cohesive and we made a concerted effort to tackle it as a band, which I feel not only brought us closer together, but meant we all felt as connected to the songs as each other, rather than if one of us were to have written it alone. It’s a great feeling to share that connection to the end result.

The Ability to be Present

I never thought I’d actually reach this point, but I feel as though everything I’ve been through in the last few years – related and unrelated to this record – have really taught me to be present. It’s so easy to get caught up in the past or constantly project into the future, especially as a musician, as you’re constantly calling on past experiences to write songs that won’t be heard for months or even years.

It used to weigh on me heavily, but I feel like I’ve made changes that have helped me appreciate where and what I am doing right now, and that is a huge theme throughout the record.