Baby Harp Seal was a post-hardcore/emo band from Leeds, UK, active for about three years. Members of the band were also in Bob Tilton, Polaris, Diesel Versus Steam, Brown Owl, Manfat and Month Of Birthdays to name a few of relevance. They released one LP, two 7"s and two split 7"s with Polaris and Kosjer D, respectively. They also had tracks on a few compilations.
Baby Harp Seal played slightly mathy, post-hardcore with a distinctive emo edge. According to Seth Bennett, the band "played kind of emo music but not really" and "were into Hoover and Fugazi and Heroin," which is evident in their style. With vocals reminiscent of Hoover and a slightly mathy, refined sound to their instrumentals; Baby Harp Seal were certainly pioneers in their sound, but there were a few bands that shared their space, especially split mates Polaris. The UK scene at the time, mostly thanks to the legendary Subjugation Records, had a host of great emo bands like Bob Tilton, Fabric and Tribute to name a few.
Their later releases, especially their self-titled 12" and self-titled 7", both released in 1996, had a much more refined and interesting sound. On their split with Polaris, they are much more pop-ey and upbeat, whereas their 12" moves much farther into the realm of moody, carefully crafted math-rock. Listening to their full discography, you can hear them evolve as a band. I like all their work, but the later stuff definitely clicks with me more than the early stuff, they really started to work together as a band, and you can hear their synchronicity. With the slow and jagged riffs, they almost begin to sound Slint-esque.
S/T 7" 1994 (Subjugation)
Polaris / Baby Harp Seal split 7" 1994 (Kwyjibo)
Baby Harp Seal / Kosjer D - Red Light Circles / New Bridge Song split 7" 1996 (Genet Records, Caught Offside Records)
S/T 12" 1996 (Subjugation)
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