By MEREDITH HUMPHREY, Special to Bootleg Essential Culture
Pursue the Heist’s lead singer claims to pair his melodic sensibility with their guitarist’s dissonant sound.
They have only been together five months, but Pursue the Heist has already recorded six tracks with four others waiting in the wings.
With Seth Dilworth as lead singer, Brian Ferry on guitar, Jonathon Hunt on drums, and Kit Richardson on bass, the group’s sound is as solid and defined as anything climbing the rock charts today. Hunt and Richardson had been playing together for a couple of years before Pursue the Heist. During that same time Hunt, Ferry and Dilworth performed together in another band.
“Everyone contributes to the writing,” said Richardson. “Me and Jonathon and Brian will sit down and hammer out some music and get a general idea of what we think it should sound like.”
After Ferry, Hunt, and Richardson record the new music, the track is given to Dilworth, who writes lyrics and shares them with the group. The entire band molds the final product.
“Brian plays a lot of dissonant stuff and I have a more melodic sensibility,” said Dilworth.
It is Dilworth’s voice that gives the Clemson-based group a unique edge above their peers. While his harsh, raw emotion with an almost demonic edge is familiar, it is hard to pinpoint a predecessor.
“I just do the best I can,” admits Dilworth. “I don’t think I could compare it to anyone else — I’d be doing them a disservice. I just try to sing — or kind of yell I guess.”
The Pursue the Hiest track “Grave” showcases Ferry’s talents with guitar parts similar to those of Wolfmother, while “Careless’s” guitar parts are better compared to Silversun Pickups as Dilworth gives his vocal chords softer notes and ambitions. Their strongest track, “Superficial,” has distinctive Led Zeppelin influences with a mix of modern rock styles and almost psychedelic backgrounds.
When asked about the group’s musical influences, Richardson is as unable as Dilworth to pin down the most influential groups.
“They’re all over the place—the Strokes, Pearl Jam and Sound Garden, Radiohead, maybe some Flaming Lips.”
