Release Date: May 28th 2026. Record Label: Electric Witch Mountain Recordings. Formats: DD
Aura - Tracklisting
1.Days of Gone
2.When the Water Breaks
3.The Last Breath of Winter Glow
4.Interiors
5.In Mortality
6.The Road is Promising
7.Endless Clouds
Members
Kamil Ziółkowski - Everything
Guests:
Johan Bernhardtson (Maha Sohona) vocals and ending guitar solo in "Days of Gone"
Sandra Rutka: vocals in "The Last Breath of Winter Glow"
Review
Sealess is the latest musical project from Kamil Ziółkowski member of the mighty Spaceslug. Kamil already has a few other projects currently going with Palm Desert, Mountain Of Misery and O.D.R.A within his impressive roster of creative outputs. Sealess is more closely linked to his Mountain Of Misery output with this project being influenced by the likes of The Cure, OM, HUM, Yawning Man and Russian Circles though that’s not say there’s some deep cosmic Sludge and Stoner based melodies lurking on this record.
Aura is an intriguing mix of different Psychedelic melodies with THE CURE being the dominant influence with an almost Eighties Alt Rock dynamic being used within the first half of the album. This is offset by areas of Ambient Rock, Electronica, Indie Rock and Space Rock sounds which can be described as musical therapy with that subtle “CHILL OUT” melody being put to great use on the superb opening track of Days Of Gone. This does have some epic movements that remind me of HUM in their most reflective and peaceful moments with The Cure effective way of storytelling pushing the song to its natural conclusion. Kamil is helped on this track by Johan Bernhardtson (Maha Sohona) who provides vocals and the ending guitar solo.
Second song When The Water Breaks shows that Kamil has a deep love and affection for the Eighties Electronic and Indie Rock scene with a stylish New Order and The Cure electronic sound pushing the song into surreal dreamlike musical soundscapes. The whole atmosphere is best described as “POST CHILLOUT” music for the Stoner Rock generation with a song that reminds me of the classic The Cure song “BURN” in many ways. You can still feel the “SPACESLUG” creative energy buried within the DNA of the whole SEALESS project. The record itself is quite grounded with Kamil using the “aquatic” themes to full effect. The instrumental sounds are deeply engaging and beautifully emotional.
If you ever wondered how The Cure would sound like if they moved into the Desert Rock / Post Rock movement then Sealess is the perfect answer to that question with Kamil creating haunting musical passages that can be described as “PURE CINEMA” especially when the soundtrack themes of the superb third track The Last Breath Of Winter Glow.
This track can be quite claustrophobic and solitary at times but the hidden depth of Post-Stoner, Alt-Rock and Doomed Out structures make this my favourite track on the whole album. This is one of the best musical tracks I’ve heard from Kamil outside of the SPACESLUG environment and he’s superbly helped by the excellent vocals from Sandra Rutka that adds a brilliant style of Eighties Alt Rock attitude into the mix.
The next two tracks on the album Interiors and In Morality feel like they could easily be part of the Mountains of Misery project. These tracks contain similar themes and motifs but with Kamil adding that emotionally charged style of Eighties Alt Rock soundscapes and intricate sludgy musical solos along the way.
There’s a small commercial “ROCK / POP” aspect that shows from time to time which was all the range back in the Eighties. However, that takes nothing away from Aura as Sealess becomes more Post-Rock and Space Rock obsessive in the best possible way. There’s also a sense of Post-Doom delivery appearing within the lyrics and how Kamil delivers some of the vocals for the remainder of the album.
The final two tracks The Road Is Promising and Endless Clouds become part of a heavier progressive journey whilst keeping quite closely with the core creative sounds first heard within the first half of the record. Ambient grooves transform into heavier strands of Psych, Post-Rock and Alt Rock which ends the album on a highly satisfactory and emotionally charged conclusion.
Aura is another great record from Kamil and I so want to hear more from this outstanding project known as SEALESS in the very near future. That maybe some time though, as after speaking to Kamil recently, he’s busy with other things and he’s earned that right to take time with whatever musical project he releases next.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to SEALESS for the promo..
Aura is available to buy now on Digital Download via Electric Witch Mountain Recordings.
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