R.E. Seraphin: Swingshift

Limited to 300 copies. "Densely layered, the EP's sheen brings to mind The Replacements gone psychedelic, Cheap Trick gone to Mars, Cleaners from Venus if they bothered to mix their records." San Francisco Bay Area guitar pop stalwart R.E. Seraphin returns with his EP Swingshift, a joint release via Mt. St. Mtn, Tear Jerk (Australia), Dandy Boy Records (US cassette) and Safe Suburban Homes (UK cassette). The seven-track home-recorded E.P., featuring both originals and inspired takes on songs by The Wipers and Television Personalities, finds Seraphin joined by colleagues Matt Bullimore (Mantles), Joel Cusumano (Cocktails), Yea-Ming Chen (Dreamdate, Yea-Ming Chen and the Rumours), Jasper Leach (Tony Molina) and guitarist Owen Kelley (Sleepy Sun). With the onset of COVID lockdowns, Seraphin rapidly changed his approach to recording, tracking all basics on his iPhone and working with his collaborators via share networks. Rather than feeling constricted by the process, he found a new freedom. "Now, I could record whatever I wanted in my bedroom and send it to whoever I wanted, free of any intraband politics," he says. "Recording something as I'm writing it has an immediacy that really works for me." The resultant EP A Room Forever found wide acclaim in the online blog world, firmly establishing Seraphin as a dynamic, multifaceted new voice in independent music. Seraphin returned to his room and trusty phone last spring to craft his most ambitious work yet in Swingshift. Densely layered, the EP's sheen brings to mind The Replacements gone psychedelic, Cheap Trick gone to Mars, Cleaners from Venus if they bothered to mix their records. Looking to move on from the muted earth tones dominating much underground music today, he goaded producer Bullimore into piling on the synths, and guitarists Cusumano and Kelley into some surprising guitar acrobatics. "To get away from that sound," explains R.E., "I pushed for Journey-style solos - a year ago, I would have never even allowed anything like that!" Inspired this round by Ultra Vivid Scene, Miracle Legion and current power-pop maverick Young Guv, Seraphin's songwriting is delightfully economic, each tune briefly introducing a new sonic world and setting before moving onto the next.

1. Playing House
2. Big Break
3. Stuck in Reno
4. The Virtue of Being Wrong
5. Miss Grief
6. I'll Be Around (Sage/Wipers)
7. This Time There's No Happy Ending (Treacy/Television Personalities)

Shipping is available to the 48 contiguous United States. We are unable to ship to PO Boxes, International locations, or APO/FPO addresses. 

Please ensure your address is entered correctly. We are unable to redirect to an alternate shipping address once an order is placed.If your order contains multiple items, it may ship from different warehouse locations.

Tracking information will be sent as items are shipped.

Allow up to 5 business days for your order to process when calculating delivery dates. 

Note: Additional delays may occur due to severe weather or other carrier delays. 

Standard Shipping: allow 7-10 business days for delivery. Albums will be shipped via USPS Media Mail; all other products via UPS Ground or FedEx Ground.

Expedited Shipping: allow 2-5 business days for delivery. Albums will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail; all other products via UPS 2-Day Air or FedEx 2-Day Air.

Overnight Shipping: allow 1-2 business days for delivery. All products will be shipped via UPS Next Day Air or FedEx Next Day Air. 

We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all products purchased from Victrola.com. All items must be returned as new in their original packaging, including all accessories and cables. Albums must be unopened to receive a refund. Missing items will be charged based on suggested retail prices.

All returns must be accompanied by a valid return authorization number (RMA) issued by Victrola. If an RMA is not obtained prior to shipping, the returned product will be refused and returned to sender.

If the item is no longer wanted, the shipping cost is not refundable and returns must be shipped prepaid by the customer. There is a 15% restocking fee that will be calculated based on the price of the product once the item is refunded.

If the item is defective, a pre-paid shipping label to return the product will be provided, and no restocking fee applies.

To set up a return for refund please visit Customer Care. Be sure to include your order # and reason for your return when submitting your request.

View more information about returns and warranty here.