The Seshen is a San Francisco Bay Area six-piece band whose songs exist between the lines: in the space between waking and dreaming, ego and collective consciousness, at that blurred horizon where earth meets sea meets sky. Anchored by Lalin St. Juste’s sly, silvery vocals (which draw frequent comparisons to Erykah Badu) and cerebral yet danceable rhythms from producer-bassist Akiyoshi Ehara, their music pulls from a deep well of electronic influences, R&B, and indie rock. Drummer Chris Thalmann, keyboard/synth player Mahesh Rao, percussionist Mirza Kopelman and sequencer Kumar Butler make the music three-dimensional, blending live and digital instrumentation for a mercurial, transportive sound. Since 2012, the Seshen’s live show has earned them critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase on multiple continents, as they’ve shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, PetiteNoir Tune-Yards, and Thundercat. CYAN (February 28, 2020 - Tru Thoughts) is the band’s most vulnerable, compelling work to date. Over a spacious, at times tumultuous sonic landscape that leans on live instrumentation, St. Juste sings of a reckoning: a hero’s journey through confusion and self-doubt, depression, and ultimately forging a way out toward the light. CYAN is a story about saving yourself. There’s death, rebirth, and a chance to look square in the mirror for the first time in a long while. To dive deep in search of a new life—one stripped of pretense or protective armor, for better or for worse.

With spectral grooves, caressing textures, and luminescent melodic hooks, Ghost & the City emerges from Oakland’s vibrant underground music scene. The ensemble melds the alluring vocals of soulstress Kia Fay, the lyrically charged keyboard/synth work of AshMaynor, the elastic beats of drummer Will Jenkins and the trumpet stylings of Ross Eustis into a sensuous trip-hop jazz sound. Rapidly gaining notice as a signature West Coast musical force, Ghost & the City continues to hone a sound that embraces a multiplicity of styles while melting away from superficial labels. 2021 will see the release of new material and a return to the live stage.