Our obsession with Sean Tweedley seems to grow with every listen. We last featured Sean for his playful charm and philosophical depth on Ooola Hooora, so when we heard that he was back with Always the Same, we couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Always the Same opens with an acoustic guitar riff and layered 60s vocalizations tapping into notions of nostalgia as Sean sings, “It’s always the same, in a world, covered in pearls, green, red, blue and black and grey, a beautiful day, a powerful way…”. The track switches tempo to a more trippy and psychedelic energy as Sean sings that change always comes around again. We appreciate the glistening tones and how the composition ebbs and flows between dynamic and trippy notions.
Sean’s timbre is brooding and textured, and there is no doubt that fans of The Beatles would be able to connect with what Sean has created with Always the Same. He confesses, “Always the Same is an upbeat, fun and contemplative song that looks at a world full of cycles and endless repetitions through the eyes or lens of someone who doesn’t get to participate in them, for better or worse.”
We deeply connect with the philosophical depth that manifests, and could imagine Always the Same being featured in a TV show like PLUR1BUS or Nine Perfect Strangers that both tap into psychedelic notions, or a film like the recent Oscar-winning, One Battle After Another. Always the Same would also make for perfect listening poolside on the rooftop of Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood, where songs of this nature often find their home.
There is something inherently cinematic about the way Sean moves between nostalgia and psychedelia. The shifting tempo almost mirrors the cyclical nature of the narrative. We also appreciate the wonderfully human DIY ethos behind the project. Sean has been composing music since 2023 and operates as a true one-man show, writing, recording, mixing and mastering every track from his home studio.
That independence seems to manifest through the music itself, with raw authenticity and organic instrumentation giving Always the Same a warmth that more polished productions can sometimes lose. Needless to say, Sean Tweedley continues to intrigue us, and we have added Always the Same to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to explore his ever-growing catalogue and wait to see where this fascinating musical universe takes us next.