You can talk (type?) about a band until you’re blue in the face (hands?), but nothing backs it up quite so nicely as a nice showing at SXSW. I don’t know how much touring Sea Wolf have been able to do since they signed to Dangerbird, but I was thrilled to be able to catch them in Austin.

MP3: Sea Wolf – Black Dirt

After the band killed with “You’re a Wolf,” lead singer Alex Church announced that because they were pressed for time, they would be skipping the slow songs in favor of their fast-paced brothers. I hoped he didn’t mean “Black Dirt,” and was correct. Not only did they play that, but they did an amazing job on “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.”

Live, Sea Wolf comes across as sort of Okkervil River meets a non-dramatic Bright Eyes. I can’t say for sure how that pairing will sit with you, but trust me that when I say it, I mean it in the best possible way.