Seahaven: "A Lot of Things Changed," but "We're on Our Way"

Seahaven is driving through Denver, overlooking mountains and rivers in its new van. "It's a lot nicer than our old one," comments Kyle Soto, the indie act's vocalist and guitarist. The four-piece band from Torrance, California, is no stranger to the touring life -- it was in Florida last March with hardcore band Touche Amore and just finished a stretch in Europe.

But this is the band's first time as headliners in the U.S., where it is promoting a new album.

And new tunes call for new digs.

Soto yawns as he talks about their new ride. "It's real clean and feels good. It's nice to be in a nicer set up." It's just past 1 p.m. and the group finished stopping for breakfast at a local grocery store. "Especially on a long drive, normal schedules take the back seat. You just sort of wake up whenever and you eat when you eat." In this case, normal schedules have been a thing of the past since the tour started on May 8, and it will continue that way until June 1.

The tour commemorates the group's new album, Reverie Lagoon: Music for Escapism Only, which was released March 25 of this year. It offers a monumental progression from their last, more pop-punk sounding releases. But to Soto, who was 18 when the band's first full-length Ghost came out, the change was natural.

"That's how people work. That's how younger people work, going from 18 to 30, you're tumbling around going all over the place. A lot of things changed." Soto is 22 now and the aging process has clearly worked in his favor. Reverie Lagoon received a lot of fan support, including dedicated tags on Tumblr and praise from sources such as popular music site Property of Zack, calling the album "a grower."

"We were in a place where we didn't know what was going to happen. We didn't know how people would perceive it," Soto says of the fans' support. "It came out, and the reaction was definitely a lot stronger and quicker than we thought it would be. We're all definitely happy with how people have received it thus far." The band is especially excited to be incorporating their new songs into their live performances. "The set has evolved and we're definitely looking forward to playing these songs throughout the tour."

But despite all the new in Seahaven's lives, they still thrive on the notion of familiarity, which brings them to their 14th tour stop -- the Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines, this Friday May 23. "It always seems to get better," says Soto about playing at the farm. "Last time we came there, everyone was just very grateful that we were there and we were grateful to be there. We wanted to come back as soon as possible." This will be the third time the band plays at the venue, but no one's really complaining. "They're a really nice bunch of guys," said owner of TTF, Kevin Burns. "Very respectful and focused."

Seahaven will be joined locally by touring bands Adventures and Foxing as well as local math-rock/indie band, Van Gogh Sky.

"It's crazy to think that I'm going to be sharing the stage with them," said Matt Dobrzanski, bassist for Van Gogh Sky. "Not every band has the chance to perform alongside big bands like Seahaven, so the fact that we're getting the opportunity to do so is incredible, and I'm literally counting down the days to it."

Dobrzanski's not the only one counting down the days. Used to the California weather, the boys of Seahaven are looking forward to hitting the South Florida sun. "We're very excited to be back we really enjoy coming down there," says Soto. "We're on our way."

Seahaven with Adventures, Foxing, and Van Gogh Sky, 6 p.m., Friday, May 23, at the Talent Farm, 20911 Johnson St., #111, Pembroke Pines. Tickets $12 at the door and $13.50 in advance. Visit thetalentfarm.com.

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