Sea Ray Releases 20th Anniversary Of ‘Stars at Noon’

By Scott Causer

On December 1, 2023

In News

SEA RAY RELEASES 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

OF STARS AT NOON

NEWLY REMASTERED ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME

VIA BODAN KUMA RECORDS

ACCLAIMED SEXTET TO PERFORM TOMORROW NIGHT

@ THE KNITTING FACTORY, NYC

STREAM STARS AT NOON VIA

SPOTIFY + APPLE MUSIC + QOBUZ

“a gorgeous, bursting collection of rock songs” – Rolling Stone

“Sea Ray has created a record that shimmers, sparkles and downright revels in its own glorious shoegazing wash of sound.” – Paste

Photo Credit: Drew Reynolds

New York, NY (December 1, 2023) – Today, New York City chamber rock sextet Sea Ray have released the 20th anniversary edition of their acclaimed sophomore album, Stars at Noon, via Bodan Kuma Records. The edition includes a first-ever vinyl pressing, painstakingly remastered by Fred Kevorkian (The White Stripes, The National). Purchase Stars at Noon here.

To celebrate, Sea Ray will take to the stage for the first time in 18 years, tomorrow night at the Knitting Factory, in New York City – Purchase tickets here.

Leading up to the release of Stars at Noon, the members of Sea Ray reconvened remotely to finally record two songs that were fan favorites of their live set, “Lashes” and “Stripmine Skyline.” These new recordings were produced by the band and mixed by longtime collaborator Peter Katis (Death Cab for Cutie, The National, Interpol).

Discussing reconnecting with his old bandmates, guitarist Greg Zinman noted, “It’s rare to share an aesthetic shorthand with people that can withstand a twenty-year pause, and it’s been so satisfying to make these new songs together, which sound as good or better than anything we’ve ever done.”

Keyboardist Jeff Sheinkopf added, “So much has happened in the world and in our lives since the last time we played together but somehow it feels like no time has passed. The old magic is still there.”

Cellist Anne Brewster: “I’ve loved getting to revisit that time in my life, the amazing adventure it all felt like, the absurd dreams that actually seem plausible when you are in your 20s. I’m also really excited that we managed to get our acts together enough to release a couple additional songs that I always really loved, but we never had a chance to record.”

Sea Ray materialized from the depths of a Brooklyn basement in 1997, inspired by echoes of classic psychedelia, ’90s shoegaze, space rock, the British Invasion,

and the spring-coil reverbs in their amps. Over time, the band’s instrumentation grew to include cello, electric piano and synthesizers, turning Sea Ray into a small chamber rock group with a dense, layered, moody sound.

After recording a self-released debut album in 1997, Sea Ray released a follow-up EP in 1999, with the help of producers Tobin Sprout (Guided by Voices) and Katis. In 2003, the band released their highly acclaimed sophomore album, Stars at Noon on esteemed NYC indie label The Self-Starter Foundation. Produced by Katis and Pete Min (Longwave), the album was an instant college and indie radio staple, receiving heavy airplay on stations like Seattle’s KEXP, LA’s KCRW, and Ohio’s legendary WOXY (where it reached #1), and garnering rave reviews around the world. Rolling Stone called it, “a gorgeous, bursting collection of rock songs,” while Time Out NY hailed its, “heart-stopping melodic beauty.”

Following extensive touring with artists such as The Church, The Stills, Longwave, and Metric, as well as dates with the Walkmen, Interpol, the New Pornographers, and Yo La Tengo, the band – Zinman, Sheinkopf, Brewster, drummer Colin Brooks, bassist I-Huei Go, and guitarist/vocalist Jordan Warner – went on indefinite hiatus in 2005. For one night, Sea Ray will bring back that magic to the stage, and with the return of Stars at Noon, remind the world why that moment in time was, and remains, so special.