Pure emotion translates to any arena. Dayseeker graft raw feeling to fluid soundscapes, revolving in an unpredictable orbit around hard rock, electronic, pop, and indie. The Southern California band—Rory Rodriguez [vocals], Gino Sgambelluri [guitar], Ramone Valerio [bass], and Zac Mayfield [drums]—have quietly emerged as a force of nature with an inimitable sound and vision. Once again, they travel an unexpected road on 2024’s Replica [Spinefarm].
This time around, the musicians fearlessly strip everything back and deliver ten acoustic tracks, reimagining nine staples from their catalog and serving up a stirring cover.
“We fell in love with these songs once again,” smiles Rory. “After singing many of them for so long on tour, you get comfortable and acclimated to where different pockets of your voice fit. A lot of these songs have a different vibe than their initial recordings did. They might sound closer to the live setting. Ultimately, we’re presenting some of our most beloved material in a new light.”
The quartet have maintained an uncompromising commitment to evolution since their 2013 formation. A string of fan favorite independent releases bulldozed the way for Sleeptalk in 2019. Marking a breakthrough moment, “Sleeptalk” generated north of 48 million Spotify streams followed by “Burial Plot” with 24 million Spotify streams. 2022’s follow-up Dark Sun only maintained this momentum highlighted by “Without Me” with 22 million Spotify streams and “Neon Grave” with 17 million Spotify streams. HYSTERIA hailed it as “an incredibly personal work,” and mxdwn proclaimed, “Dayseeker’s forward-thinking sound is artistic and innovative without sacrificing popular appeal.” Coffee and Shugar raved, “Dayseeker will be an unstoppable force and will overtake the hearts of many with their words and music.”
As a proven headliner, they packed houses on both sides of the Atlantic in addition to touring with Beartooth, Pierce The Veil, and many more. However, one particular gig unassumingly set the stage for Replica. In 2022, the band’s gear overheated at Blue Ridge Rock Festival. Thinking on his feet, Rory grabbed an acoustic guitar from the van, plugged in, and performed “Without Me.” Soon, he had pulled together a five-song set on the fly as thousands of fans flocked to the stage.
“I felt like we let people down, but I had so many friends say, ‘Everyone will remember the day your equipment stopped working and you still played the set as a really special moment’,” he recalls. “It felt natural for our songs. We usually will do extra tracks for a Deluxe version or re-release, but we decided to commit to an entire acoustic album this time.”
They didn’t go about it alone. Recording with longtime collaborator and producer Daniel Braunstein behind the board, Dayseeker invited a few close friends along for the trip. “Burial Plot” sits on a sparse airy soundscape punctuated by soft strumming and shimmering keys as Caleb Shomo of Beartooth adds another dimension to the tune. Rory and Caleb take turns with the refrain, “There’s no light. It’s just dark. Feel my body growing numb. Watch me as I come undone. A burial plot for you and I where we can both learn to die.”
“On the last night of our tour with Beartooth and Pierce The Veil, we were all at the hotel bar,” Rory reveals. “I said to Caleb, ‘We’re working on this record, and I’d love for you to sing on it’. He came to our studio, and we hung out and tried a bunch of different things. We jumped around on various keys and styles. It ended up being one of my favorites.”
Fingerpicking sets the tone for “Starving To Be Empty” as Rory locks into a cathartic back-and-forth with Lucas Woodland of Holding Absence.
“Lyrically, it’s about a dear friend of mine who has a severe eating disorder and suffered anorexia,” he elaborates. “She opened up to me about her experience, and I asked if she was comfortable with me writing this song from her perspective. I’m trying to shed some light on the pain she endured and hopefully help other people experiencing the same issues. When we toured with Holding Absence, Lucas had done it live with us, so it was a no-brainer.”
On “Without Me,” Rory’s breathy vocals exhale through a haze of piano as Moxy’s Amber DeLaRosa counters with ethereal intonation.
“I’ve been a fan of Moxy for a while,” Rory goes on. “Amber is incredibly talented. We brought them out on the road, and they paired super well with us. She also has one of my favorite voices. I always heard ‘Without Me’ as a girl-guy duet. Sure enough, it turned out better than I imagined.”
Finally, the group breathe new life into the Evanescence classic “My Immortal.” Rory’s vocals quake as a flood of feelings spills over organic instrumentation.
“I first heard ‘My Immortal’ in high school,” he remembers. “I’ve always had a weird affinity for very sad music. It was a safe haven and a way for me to escape what I was dealing with. As a teen, I hadn’t lost anyone super close to me, but ‘My Immortal’ moved me at 14-years-old. It’s obviously about losing someone very close to you, and I went through something similar with my dad passing away from cancer. It definitely aligned with the other songs and we brought Dayseeker to it.”
In the end, Dayseeker sound as vital and vibrant as ever on Replica.
“The last few years have been very kind to us,” he leaves off. “I wake up each day, and I’m thankful we get to do this for a living. It means a lot to me, especially because I’m raising my daughter in this scene. Maybe she’ll look back and have some very cool memories because of the path my friends and I found through music.”
