Christian Sean
JF Sauve
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Water represents different things within Christian doctrine, including rebirth, regeneration, and divine purification. There’s a reason it’s the core component of a baptism, where water is used to connect a worshiper to God. For the rest of their lifetime, they will feel God’s warm embrace and unconditional love, whereas a human lover rarely comes with the same guarantee. Instead, it’s far more likely they’ll just plunge you into the depths of “subliminal loneliness,” as alt-pop artist Christian Sean describes in his debut track, “Cold Water.”
An atmospheric breakup song that’s easy to get swept up in, “Cold Water” is brimming with rich textures mimicking everything from the gentle burble of a spring stream to being swept out to sea by an unexpected current. The song constantly ebbs and flows, its dynamism coming from an ever-changing coalescence of zig-zag synths, euphoric trance piano, and stop-stutter glitch samples. And yet, “Cold Water” doesn’t sound like pure chaos, but a hauntingly beautiful synthesis of a viscous bassline and resonant harmonies of a slow-motion gospel choir, whose smooth and ghostly hymnals offer a sonic salve.
Born into a Christian cult, Sean spent his childhood roaming across Europe and the Southern U.S., living a nomadic lifestyle until escaping to Montreal with his mother. Their newfound freedom didn’t change the fact that Sean’s formative years had been spent following strict rules based on other people’s immovable beliefs and underhanded motivations, though.
It didn’t take long for music to become his go-to means of individual self-expression, with his passion growing tenfold after receiving his first sampler at fourteen. A classic Roland SP-404, the aspiring producer started to meticulously study Animal Collective’s sampling methods and taking in Montreal’s burgeoning indie rock scene, watching acts like Grizzly Bear, Grimes, and Mac DeMarco.
It was a “really exciting time to come of age,” as Sean says in the press release for “Cold Water,” which pays ample homage to his D.I.Y. beginnings. Deeply reminiscent of that late-aughts sound that took over Hype Machine, Sean incorporates hints of psych, disco, and synth-pop into “Cold Water’s” indie electro-rock core, while also giving his MGMT-esque production an updated pop R&B edge with a lithe falsetto à la The Weeknd.
Sean also had his own band, though the project eventually dissolved before he moved to São Paulo with his then-partner. Living in Brazil allowed him to focus on solo production, trying out a diverse range of musical styles with the aid of a MIDI controller and a laptop.
“Cold Water” was written upon Sean’s return to Canada and grapples with the whirlpool of emotions that accompany the death of a relationship. It’s also proof that music was always meant to be a core component of his lifelong search for self. Between the song’s renewed take on the late-aughts electro-dance he loved as a teen and its nod to the Christian belief in water as an agent of regeneration and rebirth, “Cold Water” makes it clear that Sean has come one step closer to finding his identity, transforming himself into a rising avant-pop star.
