By When multi-instrumentalist Reno Powers approached Sunburnt Sky about a reggae song idea, Seels was quick to jump on the opportunity. Sunburnt Sky, fronted by Mike “Seels” Seely, released his debut album The Ten Thousand Things earlier this year. In addition, several music videos have been released to aid in spreading the sleek indie-rock reggae vibes that make up Sunburnt Sky.
Seels had no plans on putting out any new music for a while as he was continuing to promote his debut reggae album and prepare for some live shows, however, when Reno Powers sent a demo of a smooth and intriguing instrumental track, a collaboration was set in motion. Despite being part of the darkwave synth band Hex Amore, reggae has always held a special part in Reno Powers’ life, as one who grew up in Hawaii and now currently resides in Florida. With many reggae-themed song ideas in his repertoire and several other songwriting credits under his belt, he decided to reach out to Sunburnt Sky.
Sweet Fire went through several reiterations before becoming the laid-back dub mix that it eventually settled into. Seels claims that he was reaching for some Dirty Heads style rapping in the verses while striving for reverb-rich lush harmonies in the choruses to the likes of Stick Figure. Reno Powers, who recorded all the instrumental tracks, notes that his goal for the track was to produce something that really flowed and was easy to listen to.
“The process of bouncing ideas back and forth via email gave us time to sit on those different ideas without rushing the creative process,” states Seels. The positive song lyrics portray living the good life by grounding in the present while taking calculated risks. Lines such as “I’m a calculated soul but I’m gonna think twice; I’m a lucky one but I ain’t gonna roll the dice,” reminds listeners that all decisions carry weight and should be made with some sort of intent.
The song ultimately took about a couple months to finish as the two songwriters sporadically worked on it when their busy schedule allowed. Sweet Fire eventually landed just where they wanted it to, a chill song that reminisces a sunny day at the beach. It’s also safe to say that its highly likely that Seels and Powers will continue to collaborate on new music together and spread the positive vibes that make up reggae music.
