I’m quite convinced that there’s an intriguing buzz stirring within the realm of Power Pop, and R.E. Seraphin seems to be intricately woven into its fabric. While it might not signify a complete overhaul of the genre, it certainly isn’t merely a homage to its established conventions either.

What distinguishes this emergence, which I’ve dubbed the 5th Wave of Power Pop, is its introspective nature, a sense of intimacy, melodies that often defy the traditional 3-minute structure, and vocals that prioritize storytelling over melodic adherence. Another hallmark is that these songs may not immediately grab you upon first listen, but they gradually reveal their allure after repeated plays.

Fool’s Mate boasts twelve such tracks, each captivating in its own right, leaving me perpetually craving more.

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You can discover ‘Virtue Of Being Wrong’ featured on the Power Pop – The 5th Wave Spotify Playlist.

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Was there a particular moment or experience that struck you, signaling that you were onto something special with this project?

I usually vacillate a lot during the record making process: things feel great one day and then catastrophically bad the next. This time around, though, I felt very reassured after our first few days of tracking. No epiphany, but the recording process was both fun and easy, which is almost never the case – especially with full band recordings. We were engaged, we played well, and we achieved good results almost immediately. In other words – we locked the hell in!

The decision to seek opinions on your new songs is intriguing. When did you realize that external perspectives could contribute to your creative process?

My previous two releases were recorded remotely with some assistance from friends. While I really enjoy working independently, I value real time feedback and I was starting to feel like I was in an echo chamber. Hearing how others interpret your material can really be illuminating and exciting, and I wanted the feeling of being in a rock band again – the platonic ideal where every member pushes each other and the resulting tension enhances the project in totality. That’s the mentality I had going into this project. Ultimately, I think the songs were greatly improved with my bandmates’ input.

Within this collection, do you feel that the best song you’ve ever written finds its home? If not, what distinguishes this record’s essence from your prior work?

I always believe my most recent project is the best thing I’ve ever done and the best thing I could make at the time. Even if that’s untrue – or falls apart with scrutiny – I think records generally benefit from that level of delusion. On that note, I feel you can make the case for any of “End of the Start,” “Fall,” and “Clock Without Hands” as my best songs.

As an artist, the act of baring your emotions to the world is profound. Does this vulnerability come naturally to you, or is it a constant journey of finding comfort?

In regard to lyrics, I’m a big proponent of the show, don’t tell principle. Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is a great example. Instead of explaining the circumstances of his loneliness, the narrator goes on about how damn depressing the birds and the moon are. Actual depressed people think about how depressing everything is – they don’t sit around explaining why they’re depressed. That’s the kind of storytelling I aspire to. I try to blend autobiography and fiction in my lyrics – there are references to my lived experience but, more often than not, I’m just trying to evoke a feeling. I would say about half the songs have no real life context other than what may have crept in from my subconscious.

Defining a song’s completion can be elusive. How do you determine when a composition has reached its final, ready-to-record form?

The way that I work – with writing or cooking or recording – is extremely inefficient. I don’t write a song and then tweak it. I tweak the song as I’m writing it. By the time I record a demo, the song itself has already been “revised” several times. Once I’ve actually demoed something, the structure and lyrics generally don’t change much. For better or worse, that’s the way my brain works.