Having played in bands like Talkies, Impediments, Apache, and Lenz, Ray Seraphin debuted the R.E. Seraphin moniker in 2020, releasing an LP (Tiny Shapes) and an EP (A Room Forever). Both are now reissued together on a single LP via Take A Turn Records, and there is something about revisiting this material now that makes it feel like it arrives right on time.
In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, loud, and rough, where toughness and ego are rewarded and empathy is often treated with suspicion, Seraphin’s music turns inward. His singing is introverted, his songs full of nuance and texture rather than force. It may explain why a song like Today Will Be Kind hits even harder now than it did in 2020. The opening chiming guitars are wonderful, and hearing maybe today will be kind repeated so earnestly in the chorus feels almost like an act of generosity. It’s one of the many standouts on Tiny Shapes.
Seraphin’s version of paisley pop leans on subtlety. There’s soft crunch and fuzz throughout, lending the songs a rough, intimate charm that never gets in the way of the melodies. The amount of tasteful guitar work on this record is staggering. I remember playing Exploding Head to death back in 2020, and it still holds up as one of the more propulsive moments here (I believe it’s the best song Shoes never wrote), while Safe to Say taps into a deep well of ’70s power pop.
Including A Room Forever on the same LP makes this reissue feel especially complete. I don’t recall hearing most of these songs before, aside from Clock Without Hands, which was later rerecorded for Seraphin’s 2024 LP Fool’s Mate. Compared to Tiny Shapes, this EP feels like a tonal sidestep—lighter, dreamier, and perhaps more ’80s in spirit. Leave Me in the Tide breezes by like a lost classic, what a hit!
Revisiting these recordings feels like rediscovering an old friend and being grateful for the escape they offer. For a while, you can forget about the bad guys. And right now, that’s no small thing.
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