I See Seaweed is the sixth studio LP from The Drones. It was recorded in regional Victoria in 2012 and mixed by Liddiard and Burke Reid, who produced their most recent album, 2008’s Australian Music Prize-nominated Havilah.

There’s a song near the end of I See Seaweed called ‘Laika’ about the dog who was shot into space, with no hope of return, in a Soviet experiment in 1957. It follows Laika as she is born a stray on the street, “fired into a canyon of polite applause” and then left drifting in orbit.

For years songwriter Gareth Liddiard has been famous for writing about the Australian experience, but ‘Laika’ ?- like so many of the songs on I See Seaweed - is more universal than that. His focus has broadened, from colonialism to the human condition. It’s not the first time Liddiard has sung about space. ‘Penumbra’, one of the best tracks on Havilah (2008), was inspired by Buzz Aldrin and the Moon landing. That album was a slow burn - it took a few close listens to reveal itself. I See Seaweed isn’t like that at all. It’s a return to The Drones in their most immediate (and noisy) glory.

The addition of Steve Hesketh on piano gives ‘How To See Through Fog’ a touch of noir swagger, while ‘Nine Eyes’ features one of the band’s most foreboding rhythms to date and ‘A Moat You Can Stand In’ is full-blast rock'n'roll.

Track Listing:

1. I See Seaweed
2. How To See Through Fog
3. They’ll Kill You
4. A Moat You Can Stand In
5. Nine Eyes
6. The Grey Leader
7. Laika
8. Why Write A Letter That You’ll Never Send