The Double Headed Seagulls is a project by Dave Wirth, award-winning film score composer and music producer. The project's latest album, “Play Artful” now reaches the public, showing an expected versatility, between experiments and diverse styles, generating something unique and very characteristic. All with the artist's skills visible (or audible?).

In just over 15 minutes, Dave manages to deliver four soundfully winding tracks, where he can turn the experiments into tracks that end up generating various sensations and can have diverse functions, such as being themes of films, series, games and documentaries, even as something ambient.

The curiosity of “Play Artful”, is that a lot originates from the 2011 album “Slimline”, specifically from the numerous extra cassette recordings made during its long production process. Perhaps this explains the organicity of the work, which brings guitars, synths and keyboards blending in favor of the work set.

The opening track, “Full Oxford” is a perfect model of the record, with its variations of both sounds and weather, summarizing well what is to come. Another highlight is the closing track, “Doss Money”, which has a softer and more atmospheric appearance, closing the disc masterfully.

The Double Headed Seagulls is the brainchild of Dave Wirth, an award-winning film composer and music producer based in Austin, United States. Known for his cinematic vision and meticulous ear for texture, Wirth has long built his career by weaving sound into storytelling, creating works that balance emotional depth with experimental ambition. While his achievements in film scoring have earned him recognition for their ability to capture mood and nuance, The Double Headed Seagulls project allows Wirth to step outside narrative confines and embrace boundless sonic exploration. His approach blends the atmospheric qualities of post-rock, the intimate imperfection of lo-fi electronica, the rhythmic unpredictability of IDM, and the expressive phrasing of jazz guitar, layered into dreamy ambient soundscapes.

The project is rooted in curiosity, reinvention, and the art of transformation. Where other artists may leave archival recordings forgotten, Wirth finds new meaning in fragments, cassette tape experiments and sonic sketches that once served as background material become the foundation for fresh, imaginative worlds. In this way, The Double Headed Seagulls is not just a musical identity but an evolving experiment: a way of reshaping memory, texture, and emotion into something alive and playful. Officially released on August 28th, 2025, The Double Headed Seagulls’ latest EP, “Play Artful”, is a luminous fusion of lo-fi electronica, dreamy synthwave, IDM textures, jazz guitar modulations, and ambient experimentation. The record takes its inspiration from forgotten cassette recordings made during the years-long production of the 2011 album Slimline, reworked and reshaped into something entirely new.

“Play Artful” emerges as its vibrant counterpart, propulsive, melodic, and bursting with imagination. The EP captures a spirit of curiosity, described through the playful metaphor of “kids with crayons drawing on the walls while their parents roll their eyes but love every second of it.” Drawing on influences as varied as Pat Metheny’s early records (Pat Metheny, Watercolors), Brian Eno’s Ambient 4: On Land and Music for Films, Four Tet’s Everything Ecstatic, and Radiohead’s In Rainbows, the EP embodies both sophistication and spontaneity. It is music designed to surprise and delight, to reimagine what sound can mean when treated as both art and play. With its release, “Play Artful” stands as a statement of reinvention, a sonic reminder that even fragments of the past can become the foundation for vibrant new creativity.

Full Oxford

“Full Oxford” by The Double Headed Seagulls immediately establishes itself as a masterclass in sonic storytelling, opening with a serene soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate. From the very first notes, listeners are drawn into a meditative environment, where gentle ambient textures and subtle modulations create a sense of spatial depth. The track’s introduction is deceptively calm, a delicate layering of sound that slowly reveals itself as more intricate than it first appears. As the low-end frequencies begin to emerge, they do so not as intrusive elements, but as grounding forces that anchor the ambient layers, providing a rhythmic subtlety that pushes the track forward. This careful interplay between light, airy synth textures and grounded bass lines gives “Full Oxford” a sense of motion, almost as if the listener is being guided through an evolving soundscape, where every tone and frequency contributes to a larger, cohesive emotional arc.

The composition of “Full Oxford” showcases The Double Headed Seagulls’ remarkable ability to balance experimentation with accessibility. Throughout the track, there is a constant push and pull between contrasting textures: soft, ethereal pads float above nuanced rhythmic pulses, while fleeting melodic motifs weave in and out of the mix, never overwhelming the listener but providing enough intrigue to maintain focus. These elements are carefully orchestrated, allowing the track to evolve organically without resorting to abrupt changes. The transitions feel natural, almost like breathing, with new sonic layers emerging at just the right moments to sustain interest. What stands out most is the band’s precision in sculpting space and atmosphere, each sound occupies its own dimension, leaving room for reflection and emotional resonance. It’s this meticulous attention to sonic detail that transforms “Full Oxford” from a simple ambient piece into an immersive journey that resonates on both intellectual and emotional levels.

Emotionally, “Full Oxford” succeeds in conveying a narrative without words, a hallmark of The Double Headed Seagulls’ artistry. The track evokes nostalgia and introspection simultaneously, creating a complex emotional landscape that listeners can inhabit in multiple ways. Its meditative beginning evolves into a more layered midsection, where harmonics and subtle dissonances introduce tension and release, mirroring the ebb and flow of human thought and feeling. By the time the track reaches its denouement, there is a sense of fulfillment and quiet reflection, as if the listener has traversed a personal journey alongside the music. The careful modulation of dynamics, the interweaving of textural complexity, and the intuitive pacing all contribute to an experience that is both cerebral and deeply affecting. “Full Oxford” is not just a track to be heard, it is a track to be experienced, inviting repeated listening to uncover the layers of ingenuity embedded within its rich, contemplative structure.

Doss Money

“Doss Money” by The Double Headed Seagulls emerges as a contemplative and haunting finale to “Play Artful”, offering a marked departure from the EP’s earlier exuberance and playful textures. The track opens with a dramatic synth pad that immediately sets a moody, introspective tone, subtly enveloping the listener in a reflective sonic environment. Gradually, a lone guitar melody enters, delicate yet deliberate, creating a contrast between the electronic foundation and organic instrumentation. This juxtaposition crafts an atmosphere of solitude and introspection, as if the listener is walking through a vast, echoing space filled with both tension and serenity. As the piece unfolds, layers of soft, resonant organ tones and understated percussive textures are woven into the soundscape, adding depth and nuance. The sparse arrangement allows every note and tonal shift to breathe, emphasizing the emotional weight of each musical element. Toward the track’s closing moments, subtle buzzing textures interact with the guitar’s delicate phrasing, introducing gentle tension and release, which heightens the sense of narrative closure without ever feeling forced.

The composition of “Doss Money” distinguishes itself through its organic evolution and profound emotional resonance, demonstrating The Double Headed Seagulls’ mastery of pacing and texture. Unlike conventionally structured tracks, this piece develops gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, allowing listeners to become fully immersed in its meditative flow. The interplay between the guitar and synth elements feels like an intimate conversation, one that ebbs and flows with emotional subtlety, shifting seamlessly between moments of clarity and reflective ambiguity. The track’s measured pacing creates a space where the listener can engage deeply with the unfolding soundscape, noticing subtle modulations, delicate harmonics, and microtextural details that reward repeated listening. These elements work together to evoke complex feelings, from quiet melancholy to gentle reassurance, mirroring the unpredictability and richness of human thought and emotion. The lack of a rigid structure invites individual interpretation, enabling each listener to experience the track uniquely, uncovering fresh layers with each encounter.

“Doss Money” serves as a poignant and fitting conclusion to “Play Artful”, encapsulating the EP’s overarching exploration of sound, texture, and emotion in a way that lingers long after the music stops. Its introspective and measured nature provides a striking counterpoint to the more upbeat and playful tracks that precede it, offering a reflective space where listeners can digest the EP’s journey. The track’s evolving textures, harmonics, and nuanced layering showcase The Double Headed Seagulls’ ability to craft music that resonates on both an intellectual and deeply emotional level. By choosing to close the EP with this piece, the band not only underscores the thematic arc of exploration, creativity, and emotional introspection but also leaves a lasting impression of sophistication and depth. “Doss Money” invites repeated listening, as each play reveals subtle sonic choices and emotional cues, making it a memorable and essential component of “Play Artful”.

Play Artful transforms forgotten fragments into vibrant soundscapes, playful, nostalgic, and deeply immersive, blending experimentation with emotional resonance.

“Play Artful” is a reinvention of sound and memory, a work that transforms forgotten cassette fragments into a vibrant sonic canvas where experimentation meets playfulness. By blending lo-fi electronica, dreamy synth textures, IDM-inspired rhythms, and expressive jazz guitar, The Double Headed Seagulls craft a listening experience that feels at once nostalgic and refreshingly new. It is an EP that invites reflection but also delights in spontaneity, striking a rare balance between sophistication and childlike wonder, where every note feels both intentional and effortlessly free. With its imaginative soundscapes and emotional depth, “Play Artful” resonates as a reminder of the beauty found in reinvention and the joy of rediscovery. For listeners seeking music that rewards both deep attention and casual immersion, this record is a must-hear, best experienced in quiet, unhurried moments with headphones, where its layers can unfold like a story that reveals something new with every listen.

The Double Headed Seagulls aren’t your run-of-the-mill electronic artists — this outfit has been at it for a long time, right from their early explorations into the world of music, to their work of today — and after a hiatus, they present their latest album, “Play Artful” — keep reading for my thoughts!

“Full Oxford”, the first track off this 4-track EP, is a lush carpet of sound, delicately woven together; be it the pads that surround you with a warm, mellow sound, or the gentle plucks of the electric guitars in the background, this track sets the stage quite early on, almost as if to give us a glimpse of what the rest of “Play Artful” is going to be about. The basses make their rounds as well, and the woodwinds play yet another part to complete this beautifully ambient, atmospheric track.

Segueing into the second track, we get to the title track of the EP — and “Play Artful” (the track) is an excellent example of experimental sound design. From using guitar pick scratches as beatkeeping elements, to the sound design with the synths across every layer of the song, this song is nothing short of delicious tiramisu; in that you’re always left going for a second helping, and then another.

The whole of “Play Artful” has this sense of expertise and skillful sound design at the helm — and I shouldn’t be surprised; for in an era where music feels polished and predictable at every turn, there’s this element of surprise that this EP absolutely *nails*.

The production on the EP is varied yet cohesive — like multiple people coming together to spread one gospel. Contrast, complementing harmonies, and free-time is where this presentation shines; staying avoidant of the tried-and-tested, and doing a bang-up job of sounding pristine while at it.

As we round “Play Artful” out with Doss Money, the sound comes full circle — a grounded, relaxed number that brings you back to Earth from the cosmos. The sparkly synths dally delicately with the Rhodes pianos, while the clean electrics keep steady pace.

All in all, “Play Artful” by The Double Headed Seagulls — a livening breath of fresh air that isn’t afraid to push the boundaries — heck, *to redefine them entirely*. The epitome of self-expression, this album is more than worth a listen. Check it out here!

With Play Artful, The Double Headed Seagulls—an experimental project by award-winning film composer and producer Dave Wirth—delivers an album that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Released on Fire, Fire, Red Star Down! Records on August 28th, 2025, the EP is a bold statement in the world of post rock, lo-fi electronica, and experimental ambient. Wirth reimagines fragments from his earlier work, weaving them into something playful, lush, and strikingly fresh.

The roots ofPlay Artful trace back to Wirth’s 2011 record Slimline. During its lengthy production, countless cassette recordings were captured—digital synths, guitar loops, and bursts of feedback. For years, these fragments lay dormant, until Wirth unearthed them as the raw material for this project. The idea of transforming forgotten sonic scraps into a cohesive new work gives Play Artful a strong conceptual backbone: it’s about creation through re-creation.

Where *Slimline* leaned heavy and noisy, *Play Artful* pivots toward a lighter, more energetic palette. There’s a whimsical quality to the sound—a childlike joy—that balances the seriousness of its construction. It’s as if Wirth traded industrial grit for watercolor pastels, retaining the depth but embracing a new sense of freedom.

Musically, *Play Artful* exists in a space where genres blur and bend. Lo-fi electronica pulses at the core, layered with dreamy synthwave textures, jazz guitar chords, and IDM-inspired rhythms. The guitar work recalls Pat Metheny’s *Watercolors*, while the atmospheric approach nods to Brian Eno’s *Ambient 4: On Land* and *Music for Films*. The unpredictable yet deliberate rhythms echo Four Tet’s *Everything Ecstatic*, and the layered melodic richness hints at the textured world of Radiohead’s *In Rainbows*.

The result is neither imitation nor pastiche. Instead, *Play Artful* uses these influences as guideposts, building a soundscape that feels uniquely its own. The juxtaposition of organic jazz guitar with glitchy electronica and ambient washes creates moments that are both grounding and otherworldly.

The title Play Artful is no accident. The EP embraces creativity as an act of exploration rather than perfection. Its energy is playful—like kids doodling crayon masterpieces across the walls while the parents, exasperated, can’t help but admire the raw creativity. There’s joy in the imperfections and curiosity in the experiments, which gives the music a refreshing openness.

Where some experimental albums risk alienating listeners with too much abstraction, *Play Artful* remains accessible. Its melodies and grooves, while complex, are inviting rather than intimidating. This makes it a record that can be appreciated by both serious audiophiles and casual listeners alike.

Dave Wirth’s work as The Double Headed Seagulls showcases the power of revisiting and repurposing the past. By drawing from recordings once left behind, *Play Artful* demonstrates how forgotten moments of sound can be transformed into something vital and alive. It’s not just an album but a reminder that creativity often lies dormant, waiting for the right spark to bring it back to life.

In a music landscape often saturated with repetition, *Play Artful* stands out as adventurous yet approachable. It’s a sonic playground that rewards careful listening while still encouraging you to simply let go and enjoy the ride.

With this EP, The Double Headed Seagulls not only build on their earlier foundations but also set a new course—one where experimentation is joyful, and where art is play.

Over a decade after their early explorations in sound, The Double Headed Seagulls return with 'Play Artful', a collection that feels both familiar and refreshingly unpredictable. Drawing from forgotten cassette tapes and studio experiments dating back to their 2011 release 'Slimline', producer Dave Wirth has reshaped fragments of the past into a vibrant, forward-looking EP. Where their earlier work leaned into grit and intensity, this offering pulses with an infectious sense of curiosity, blending intricate synth textures with jazz-infused guitar lines that twist and ripple through every track.

'Play Artful' thrives on contrast, where lo-fi electronics sit alongside lush, ambient washes, while melodic improvisation dances atop propulsive rhythms. Each song feels meticulously handcrafted, yet retains the spontaneous energy of discovery, as if he is uncovering new possibilities with every layer. The playful, almost childlike character of the compositions reveals an artist unafraid to embrace experimentation without losing their distinct voice.

'Play Artful' also excels in how it balances the cerebral and the emotive. Moments of sparkling, airy synths evoke wonder, while the interweaving guitar modulations provide a tactile, human touch that grounds the release in feeling. This is an EP looking to transform the sounds of the past, offering us a renewed sense of excitement and imagination.

In an era where much music feels polished and predictable, The Double Headed Seagulls has crafted a collection that is unpredictable, joyful, and utterly alive, confirming his place as an innovator in the indie-electronic landscape.

The title track to The Double Headed Seagulls’ new EP Play Artful (released August 28, 2025) composer Dave Wirth’s keen ear for melding melody with rhythm and texture in a continuous flow that eases and stimulates the mind at once. It sounds like music boxes attained intelligence and learned to communicate with each other via electrical wires in on the process of communication in a collective, harmonious process in which every entity involved contributes to a dynamic sound that reflects a joyful spirit sustained for the track’s two minute and thirty-seven seconds run time. Tones pulse slowly, a background wave of low end comes to the foreground in pleasing pulses and the simple but jaunty percussive sounds buoy the energy of all the other elements for a net effect of a gentle momentum that feels like a completion of some kind of journey at the end and arriving at your destination at ease.

Reading Notes

1-3 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Introducing Elements, a new ambient & experimental record from Evil Gima.

Over the years of working with Jorge Martinez on Evil Gima releases (and many more recordings as well), I've found it’s extraordinarily rewarding and challenging to make experimental music that means something.

The same is true for the opposite.

It’s easy to make experimental music that means absolutely nothing at all and lacks any merit. To make that kind of experimental music, all we really need to do is to make noise and layer it. In other words, find a sound, layer another sound on top, and voila: Mediocre experimental music.

Jorge and I constantly riff off each other to make something a little bit more inviting. There’s intention behind the sounds, a symmetry that pushes us (and hopefully the listener) into a weirder and weirder place.

We long for a consistency and symmetry in good music and we try to bring it into Evil Gima.

Similarly, we long for a piece of music to force us to sit back in our chairs and whistle, if not bristle, at the scope of it, not unlike the pause after getting a much needed punch to the face. I take particular pride in the fact that one person took the time to write of our previous album Alluvion, that “this is music for an emotionally intense fuck.”

For Elements, we hope to offer you songs of that same caliber, or at least in the realm of a comment like that. We reached to create experimental songs that have an underlying symmetry to them. We wanted to tell you a story. We tried very hard to capture a mood that we don’t often hear from music nowadays.

We reached for magical and at the same time intensely perverse and of a full-goblin mode…. at times incredibly unsettling…. at times completely blown out and followed by the sound of a well-deserved silence.

Jorge and I now offer you Elements, the next iteration of Evil Gima. Thank you so much for taking a moment to read this and for your consideration for listening to our challenging music. We love to make it.

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Reading Notes

5-6 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Freelance compensation methods; Creative autonomy and networking; Importance of written agreements

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TL;DR, here's five ways you can get paid as a freelance creative:

1. Money

2. Creative Autonomy

3. Reputation Promotion & Access to a New Network

4. Solidified Working Relationship

5. Future Favors

#1: Money

This is obvious, and money feels awesome to receive. After all, if you do work, you should get paid in moolah, Right? Cold hard cash keeps things extremely simple. Do the work, receive money, be done with it.

Though it never hurts my feelings to receive money straight up for creative work, I don’t get annoyed if it’s not part of the offer. If someone wishes to collaborate with me but doesn't have any money to give, that's when the form of payment gets more interesting (let’s keep it clean, y’all).

#2: Creative Autonomy

If you don't get paid in money, you could negotiate to get paid in creative autonomy.

If you work in film like I do, that would mean a director would give you carte blanche do your work any damned way you please. If you are a director of photography (DP for short), the director will agree to trust what you think is best and won't overly fuss with your choices on set. If you're a visual artist, your employer will receive your work and possibly agree to give you one or two notes of feedback, tops. In other words, creative autonomy is all about doing what you want to do, and the employer getting less of a say about it than if they paid your full price.

In the late ‘90s, Samuel L. Jackson accepted a large pay cut to take the leading role in the movie The Red Violin. He liked the role quite a bit, but the film was independently-financed, meaning that the film didn't have a whole lot of money to offer him. He ended up taking the role in exchange for less money but a ton of creative autonomy. He got the chance to portray the character he loved exactly how he wanted to, and the director of that movie, François Girard, got a Hollywood A-Lister on board.

#3: Reputational Promotion & Access to a New Network

You could also get paid in reputational promotion or access to a new network. This is when your employer agrees to boost your reputational credibility throughout his or her network, and you get access to that new network of people.

Basically, you ask your employer to write about your work, post videos about your work, or even (in my case) submit your work to film festivals on your behalf where it has the opportunity to be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Perhaps your employer will directly tell you, "Look at my LinkedIn profile. If you want to be introduced to anyone, just give me the word."

My Mom creates incredibly detailed pencil portraits. She always expresses surprise that people find out about her, but it doesn't surprise me at all: Her portraits are so good that her clients automatically post her work, everywhere. Her reputation as a solid choice for pencil portraits has only risen over the decades, and she still receives commissions from people she doesn't know at all. Although she doesn't actively seek work as much as she did in the past, it's clear that all she needs to do is ask for introductions from past clients.

#4: Solidified Working Relationships

You could also get paid with a solidified working relationships. Perhaps you are a film editor looking to work with more film directors. Let’s say you meet one. Instead of pitching your services, perhaps you ask if this director needs anything done that you might be able to help with. If yes, then you have an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself to this director. After finishing the task, you could tell this director, "From here on out, you can expect good work if you employ me."

I have a friend who often chooses to get paid in solidified working relationships. He's a master networker who loves meeting new people. Working with him is smooth, easy, and drama-free. He always gets the job done, on time, and under budget. Sometimes, he'll offer to complete a very small task for someone he doesn’t know at all, a task that doesn't cost him too much time or effort. Often, this potential employer is quite pleased! The investment comes back to my friend in the future. Everyone loves to work with him. Needless to say, my friend works a lot.

#5: Future Favors

If money is out of the picture, but it seems like the person you’re working for has a great deal of clout, it might be worth it to ask for a future favor.

This isn’t nearly as tit-for-tat as it seems. A company I recently worked with does this in a gorgeous, giving, abundant way that’s full of love. I’ll call them Company A.

Company A often works for startups and up-and-coming artists who can’t afford their admittedly steeply priced services. When this is the case, Company A asks for favors, but here’s the kicker: They only agree to favors with people they know are highly able to deliver on those in the future.

Recently, this very same company cashed-in on a number of these favors. They were able to get live entertainment after they cashed in a favor they gained from doing work for a band. The band gained access to a whole new network of people (see above) and crushed the event. Company A also secured a venue for the performance after they cashed in a favor they gained from doing work with that venue in the past.

Caveats

There's always caveats to any approach, and I'd like to name four of them.

First, don't automatically assume money is off the table. It’s a bad idea to act as if money isn’t an option for you to receive! There's no substitute for money because, well, we can't eat good intentions or random acts of creative kindness. We all need money to survive as creatives, and there's no reason to shy away from that fact. We should always ask for what we're worth. Besides, money can usually be negotiated, even if it’s less than you normally charge.

Second, if money is out of the question, make sure to be super conscious of exactly how much time, effort, and resources you’ll require to complete that project. A lawyer friend of mine recommended that I turn down any offer that requires deferred monetary compensation but needs more than two or three hours a month of my time.

Let me be more transparent about this second point: Don't be a sucker. Be a giver who’s conscious of what you can give.

Third, get the compensation in writing. If you want to get introductions to a new network of people, say so and put that in your contract. If you want a new working relationship, ask for the employer to strongly consider hiring you the next time she/he has a need for a service like yours. If you want creative autonomy, make sure to state in the contract that you are allowed to explore and try something new, with only one iteration allowed!

Fourth, never accept a favor for payment if it’s offered to you. 99% of the time, that’s a bad idea.

Why you should write your compensation in the contract, even if it’s not money.

Writing the compensation in the contract does two things for you. It shows the employer that you're serious and probably won't accept working for anything less than money in the future.

Second, it makes it super clear exactly what you can, cannot, and will not do for that person. A little clarity goes a long way.

In Conclusion

I often giggle when I think about the film industry, at large. It's full of people who are hustling to get a creative vision on the big screen, to see a story get produced in the most epic way possible. If I wanted to be extraordinarily rich early in my life, I would've studied finance rather than music!

And yet, the creative rewards are so immense that I'm completely addicted to this lifestyle. I think we, the creatives, love to work because of that sense of creative achievement, that flow-state we get into when we're in the throes of the act of doing something important. It doesn’t hurt our feelings to experience success, either!

The final point I want to leave you with is that we need to be super creative in our approach to doing the work we want to do, and in continuing to do great work for the long-term. How and what we receive in return for our hard work matters. We can move forward, even if we’re not entirely well-known enough to demand a million dollars for our services.

I believe that compensation is a form of energy. The energy we put into a project should match the energy we receive from our employer. That energy often comes in the form of money, but not always. Get clarity on that compensation. This seems of the utmost importance to our long term creative happiness.

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The Double Headed Seagulls, the project of Texan artist Dave Wirth, works a subtle kind of magic with "Play Artful". This four-track EP, compact in its duration yet vast in its atmosphere, is not merely a new collection of sounds; it is an exercise in affective archaeology. The raw material consists of sonic seeds planted in the past, echoes from cassette tapes recorded during the sessions for their 2011 album "Slimline", now exhumed and reimagined with a completely new intent.

What emerges from this manipulation of analog fragments is a sonic universe that evokes the unpretentious curiosity of a child and the wisdom of an experienced artist. The jazz-like modulation of guitars converses with the ambient textures of synthesizers, creating a lo-fi IDM that is paradoxically both nostalgic and futuristic. The title track, "Play Artful", is a direct invitation into this state of mind, while pieces like "One Pot Screamer" and "Doss Money" pulse with a propulsive and melodic energy, distancing themselves from the noisy seriousness of the band's earlier work.

The feeling is that of finding an old chest in the attic and discovering that the toys stored inside still work, but now speak a more complex and enchanting language. It is like witnessing creative children scribbling on the walls with crayons – the parents might roll their eyes, but they secretly delight in that pure expression of joy. "Play Artful" is precisely that: a celebration of the creative process in its most playful and, consequently, most artful form.

Pitching their latest record to us, Austin-based sonic alchemist The Double Headed Seagulls mentions the likes of Pat Metheny, Brian Eno, Four Tet, and Radiohead… Cultured listeners out there will probably have a mixed reaction to that, same as we did. How’s that possible? Metheny AND Thom Yorke? Which kind of musical concoction is The Double Headed Seagulls working on? It turns out that the project is one of a kind. 

Led by American composer and producer Dave Wirth, The Double Headed Seagulls moves with intention and purpose, yet with a certain aleatory flair. His sonic choices don’t always make sense, at least not at first. ‘Play Artful’ is the perfect example of that; marking the project’s latest release, the record features leftover material from Wirth’s 2011 album ‘Slimline’. Cassette tape recordings packed with synthetisers, noisy guitars and otherworldly drones, now given a new lease of life on ‘Play Artful’. 

It’s an album that admittedly seeks a certain amount of randomness. It’s an imaginative, cathartic record, one that requires a certain amount of effort and commitment from the listener. At times melancholic, at times calming, otherwise bittersweet: The Double Headed Seagulls has mastered the art of communicating through aural fragments and liminal soundscapes. Despite its instrumental nature, ‘Play Artful’ looks boldly ahead, expanding the narrative of the world as we know it. That’s the most precious gift the album could offer: a space to escape an ever-chaotic reality. 

The Double Headed Seagulls’ upcoming album Play Artful is a mesmerizing blend of lo-fi electronica, dreamy synthwave, and jazz guitar, crafted from forgotten cassette fragments recorded during the making of their 2011 record Slimline. Reworking these lost pieces into something entirely new, the duo creates a lush, playful soundscape where digital synths, textured feedback, and intricate guitar modulations collide.

Influences from Brian Eno, Four Tet, Pat Metheny, and Radiohead subtly seep through, but the result feels distinctively their own — both experimental and inviting. Unlike the noisy seriousness of Slimline, this record leans into energy and melody, balancing ambient depth with propulsive grooves and unexpected bursts of color.

At its core, Play Artful celebrates creativity without restraint, capturing a childlike curiosity while maintaining masterful technical control. It’s immersive, inventive, and bound to delight listeners eager for sonic exploration.

The title track to The Double Headed Seagulls’ new EP Play Artful (released August 28, 2025) composer Dave Wirth’s keen ear for melding melody with rhythm and texture in a continuous flow that eases and stimulates the mind at once. It sounds like music boxes attained intelligence and learned to communicate with each other via electrical wires in on the process of communication in a collective, harmonious process in which every entity involved contributes to a dynamic sound that reflects a joyful spirit sustained for the track’s two minute and thirty-seven seconds run time. Tones pulse slowly, a background wave of low end comes to the foreground in pleasing pulses and the simple but jaunty percussive sounds buoy the energy of all the other elements for a net effect of a gentle momentum that feels like a completion of some kind of journey at the end and arriving at your destination at ease. Listen to “Play Artful” on Spotify and follow The Double Headed Seagull at the links below.

WeWriteAboutMusic:

On Play Artful, The Double Headed Seagulls, the project of award-winning film composer and producer Dave Wirth, it’s quite easy to say he’s achieved something rare. This record feels both like a culmination and a fresh beginning. It’s a collection of four tracks, but the experience stretches post-rock, IDM, and jazz for something extremely original and fresh.

From the outset, Wirth’s approach to sound feels tactile. It’s an aesthetic that is at once nostalgic and forward-looking, carrying the warmth of cassette-era experimentation while also embracing meticulous production polish. Listening on headphones (a must!!) reveals the craft at its finest. These sounds flicker and dance across the spectrum where melodies spiral and then dissolve into atmosphere, and the mix never loses its clarity no matter how layered or dense it becomes.

Compared to earlier Seagulls releases, which leaned toward darker and noisier territory, this record thrives on lightness. For us, it sort of felt Radiohead-esque in some ways without ever feeling derivative. Instead, Wirth builds his own universe, one where jazz chords float weightless against buzzing synths and fractured electronics, where propulsive beats can suddenly melt into ambient pools.

On one hand, it’s an intellectual delight. You can dissect the layers of production, trace the genre-bending experiments, and marvel at the intricate sound design. On the other, it’s deeply affecting on a visceral level, as the melodies and tonal choices cut through with warmth and immediacy. Even at its most abstract, Play Artful radiates accessibility and really gives the opportunity for repeated listens and experience what you might have potentially missed.

There’s also a cinematic quality to the work that embodies Wirth’s film composer background. Each piece feels like a scene in an unfolding dream, full of color and texture, each transition handled with an editor’s sense of pacing. Despite that polish, nothing feels too controlled. The music retains a looseness, a spontaneity that makes every detail feel discovered rather than engineered. You never really know where things are going, especially on “One Pot Screamer”, but collectively the whole record gives off the perfect experience.

It’s a masterclass in how to push the boundaries of genre while keeping the listener grounded in melody and mood. Both lush and spacious and classic in its influences, this is a record that rewards an actual close listen while turning off life around you.

For listeners, it’s an invitation into a world that feels strangely familiar yet endlessly surprising. Not only do we recommend you check out the record, but you have to check out the back catalog as well for some serious gems. Go ahead and click those links below to listen in, follow along, and of course to stay tuned for more.

BiographyWeb:

Dave Wirth, an award-winning film composer and soundtrack producer, created The Double-Headed Seagulls. This US artist’s project’s latest EP, “Play Artful”, combines post-rock, lo-fi electronica, IDM, jazz guitar, and experimental ambient to create a beautiful and dreamy sound universe. I am going to be your guide and take you through these four songs

“Full Oxford” is the title track of the EP. The song opens with these ethereal synth sounds. The song then takes a different direction with synth pop sounds that are initially very bright but, a little later, we see a darker side of it. This song to me, is yin and yang. It had a light side and a dark side and, the way they mixed together would not have been able to sound good, but I can vouch for this song that, it sounded amazing. The way the song oscillated from high to low throughout was quite beautiful. This lovely song opens the EP

The next song is the EP’s namesake “play artful”. This song opens with a synth sound but, a unique beat is added to it it giving it such a wonderful flair. This song was not one of those instrumentals that sound the same from beginning to end. We see the development of the sound and it’s exciting to see the genius mind of the artist and feel like we were there when he made it

“One Pot Screamer” is the second-to-last song. This song opens with a mid-tempo melody that is unlike anything I have ever heard. It sounded like a cross between different instruments. As the song builds, so does the excitement and this song was just an incredible song, you won’t regret listening to it

The concluding song on this EP is titled “Doss money”. The song opens with a dramatic synth sound and then the guitar melody sets in. The notes are bold yet lonely. The melody picks up a bit towards the middle of the song before the organ sounds set it. Toward the end of the song, a buzzing sound goes in and out of the guitar melody. This song was an odd but incredible arrangement by the artist. This amazing, yet out-of-this-world song ends the EP

This most recent release of this artist is an example of how old recordings can be altered, edited, and redesigned to make a whole different statement. The final product provides a more fun and youthful flair while maintaining a similarity to the project’s previous work. In contrast to his release “Slimline”, released in 2011, which was loud and solemn, “Play Artful” is more vivacious, upbeat, and melodically inventive. Although the tone and energy are different, the underlying sound is still quite similar. In a lively and engrossing way, Play Artful blends art-rock, jazz guitar modulations, lo-fi IDM, and rich ambient synthesizers. It seeks to astound and excite those who hear it. I vouch for this song but, if you don’t believe me, listen for yourself and see how wonderful it is.

Broken 8 Records:

When an artist with film-scoring credentials steps into the world of independent projects, there’s always a thrill in discovering how their mastery of storytelling through sound translates into personal expression. Enter The Double Headed Seagulls, the boundary-pushing project of Dave Wirth, an award-winning film composer and producer whose latest EP, ‘Play Artful,’ which came out on August 28th redefines the playground of instrumental music.

This is no ordinary record. It’s an exercise in turning sound into sketches, tones into brushstrokes, and rhythm into unexpected shapes. Wirth folds together post-rock dynamics, lo-fi electronica, IDM patterns, experimental ambient layers, and the fluidity of jazz guitar to create something vibrant and exploratory. The result is an EP that feels like creative kids scribbling on the walls—messy, colorful, imaginative, and ultimately, delightful.

“Full Oxford” –The opening track introduces the us to Wirth’s penchant for atmosphere. Floating synth textures drift like watercolor across a canvas, while carefully placed IDM-style percussion patterns add a sense of motion. Jazz guitar phrases weave in and out, at times contemplative and at times playful, creating a dialogue between order and improvisation. It’s an overture that sets the tone: thoughtful yet unpredictable.

“Play Artful” – The title track embodies the EP’s philosophy most directly. Here, the post-rock influence shines, with guitar modulations rising like waves against lush electronic backdrops. The piece sways between meditative passages and bursts of layered instrumentation, like a mural slowly filling in with bold, colorful shapes. There’s a balance of restraint and abandon, suggesting that art—like childhood creativity—should never fear chaos.

“One Pot Screamer” – As its title suggests, this is the wildest moment of the EP. IDM glitches and stuttering beats collide with experimental ambient soundscapes, forming a controlled cacophony that feels chaotic and hypnotic. Wirth’s jazz guitar licks punctuate the mix, giving it a human anchor amid the digital frenzy. It’s the sound of crayons snapped in half and still scribbling furiously—raw, visceral, and oddly joyful.

“Doss Money” – Closing the collection is perhaps the most introspective of the four. Here, the production leans heavily into dreamy ambient tones, with spacious reverb and shimmering synths that seem to hover in the air. The jazz guitar softens, taking on a reflective quality, while subtle rhythmic textures provide just enough grounding. It’s a gentle exhale, a lull after the bright colors of the previous tracks—a reminder that even play ends in moments of stillness.

As a composer, Wirth’s expertise lies not just in writing melodies but in orchestrating sound worlds. His delivery throughout Play Artful is not about virtuosity in the traditional sense, but about creating immersive experiences. The jazz guitar work never overpowers but instead converses with the electronics, bending and shaping around beats and textures like a painter adjusting hues on a canvas. Each track is sculpted with cinematic precision, yet loose enough to feel organic and free.

The production here deserves special mention. The EP is mixed with a warmth that makes its experimental nature approachable. Lo-fi elements keep the textures grounded, while ambient washes give the EP an expansive, dreamlike quality. The IDM influences—delicate glitches, off-kilter percussion, and electronic pulses—are executed with finesse, never overwhelming the organic guitar timbres. The combination of electronic programming and live instrumentation feels balanced, with no one element stealing the spotlight.

With ‘Play Artful,’ The Double Headed Seagulls mark a fascinating entry into the experimental scene, proving that playfulness and sophistication can coexist beautifully. Dave Wirth uses his filmic instincts to draw us into shifting landscapes—sometimes chaotic, sometimes serene, but always captivating. This is music for the imagination, a reminder that creativity is at its best when boundaries dissolve.

Listen to the ‘Play Artful’ EP on Spotify

Broken 8 Records

Song Web:

Rising from a unique spell of jazz guitar and lo-fi electronica, The Double Headed Seagulls’ EP, ‘Play Artful,’ feels like a rebirth. The seeds for this project were sown years ago, in the discarded cassette recordings from The Double Headed Seagull’s 2011 record, ‘Slimline’. While that album was a serious, often noisy affair, ‘Play Artful’ is a complete departure in tone, a burst of energy and melodic imagination that feels like a playful, joyous statement.

It's a playful, eclectic, and wonderfully textured ode to how old recordings can be manipulated and rearranged to create something completely new. Caught between deft fusions of digital synthesizers, direct-to-interface guitars, and vibrant real-time feedback, it echoes the work of masters like Brian Eno, Radiohead, and Four Tet, creating a world torn between styles. The result is a captivating and whimsical listen, the musical equivalent of a child with a box of crayons, happily drawing on the walls while their parents watch with amused affection.

‘Full Oxford’, the first track on the EP, develops like a well-written narrative. It starts off in an area of serene calm before bringing in a daring, low-end element that strides purposefully forward, slowly creeping into frame and becoming part of the overall sound. With each listen, the music takes you on a beautiful and inquisitive journey that becomes more intricate and captivating over time. 

‘Play Artful’, the EP's title track, is its stylistic centrepiece. It's a happy anthem for getting back in touch with a more carefree era; stripping away life’s noise to reconnect with simpler times. It’s a song that feels like the culmination of Dave’s influences thanks to its deftly woven percussion and expansive style.

In the latter half, ‘One Pot Screamer’, arrives as a brief but potent track that lasts just over a minute. The quality of the music and production is undeniable, and while brief, it’s light shines brightly, bursting into life to deliver a powerful and impactful composition. 

In the closing moments, ‘Doss Money’ delivers a more reflective experience, shifting between changing textures and instrumentals. It’s a song that gets under your skin and lets you imprint your own ideas upon it, building steadily and purposefully, and leading you to a powerful and memorable end.

While just four tracks long, ‘Play Artful’ is undeniably complex, creating a captivating sonic experience that doesn’t lack depth or flavour. In a landscape filled with heavy themes, ‘Play Artful’ stands out as a delightful and surprising artistic statement that is well worth exploring.

For more from The Double Headed Seagulls, be sure to check out the band on Spotify, YouTube, and Bandcamp.

Song Web

Play Artful by The Double Headed Seagulls

Reading Notes

1-2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

A good kick in the ass to inspire more creativity and overcome hesitation; Triggering the artistic process.

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It's time for some tough love: The fastest way to create anything is to create something, right now.

No hesitation. No waiting until the right moment. No waiting for inspiration.

Plain and simple: Just jump in. Do it now.

What are you waiting for? Are you waiting to be good enough to create anything? I dare say you're good enough right now to create. Even if it's minuscule and modest. Even if no one will ever read it, view it, or hear it. You don't have to share what you created with anyone at all. It can be your little secret.

Are you waiting to feel inspired? That sounds like a complete waste of time to me. You lure inspiration by teasing it, by creating something immediately. You jump in. And when inspiration does show up, the whole world stops. You're in the flow. You are creating what you're meant to create. That's inspired action, baby.

Are you waiting for the right moment? Again, what a waste of time. You mean to tell me you'd rather put off the fun of writing a song, creating the next poem, or painting the next painting because the moment isn't right?

Poppycock.

There's always a moment to create. You could create the bare minimum each day. You could write one line of a new poem, plug a couple of cables on your eurorack synth, make up ten seconds of choreography, draw one long beautiful line of a pencil portrait, sing for thirty seconds. There's always a moment.

Quit fucking around.

The fastest way to create anything is to create something, now.

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When director Maurice Moore and I started to talk about the music for Finding Solace, Maurice posed a significant challenge that I totally accepted: Craft music that could exist independently of the film itself. In essence, I accepted the task to compose a score that would resonate on its own, without the help of the visual and narrative context provided by the film. It was a mighty challenge, and I hope I rose to it.

To achieve the goal, I felt strongly that I needed to delve into the archives of America’s rich cinematic legacy. Throughout the history of film as an artistic medium, the orchestra has served as the primary instrument for creating iconic and memorable film scores. The emotional breadth and range offered by the orchestra surpasses that of any other musical tool available to film composers, and it was clear to me that Finding Solace required that sound.

Finding Solace skirts a line in contemporary independent filmmaking that’s rarely dared: It’s an ingenious mashup of Crash and Seven. There’s outright moments of intense syncronicity that follow with deeply intense horror. It was clear that I had to do music that at least attempted to bridge the two distinctive narrative genres while ensuring a cohesive melodic through-line in the film. If I succeeded or not, that’s certainly a good question! In the end, the score employs orchestra, piano, and an immensely reverberated guitar to express a profoundly tragic family drama, while chilling orchestral effects coalesce to establish an atmosphere filled with tension, darkness, and an overwhelming sense of harrowing intensity.

I had to go for broke with this movie. It needed music that matched the audacity of the story. If I wanted to rise to the challenge Maurice Moore threw at me, I had to go big or go home. The outcome is approximately 65 minutes of richly layered orchestral music. I hope you enjoy.

Reading Notes

2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Mastery defined; Continual engagement; Being realistic with time investments.

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Mastery is continual engagement with your craft.

That’s it.

Mastery is not some exhaulted place you get to. It’s not some destination you arrive at. And, it’s not enlightenment, nirvana, or satori.

It’s just continual engagement. Usually, it’s engagement with something you can’t even fully grasp or comprehend (music, for me). There’s always a beautiful sense of mystery in true mastery.

Mastery is a daily dedication to engage, follow up, come back to, and reengage with your craft every day.

It’s like that saying: “How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time.”

It’s almost too simple, right? But it works, and it’s compassionate to ourselves, too.

Thinking about mastery as a process, rather than a product, has vast implications for learning anything.

For example, I wanted to study orchestration on a super deep level. So, I got a copy of Daphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel and studied it for three years. My only job was to continually return to the score and study. I focused on revisiting, on sitting down, on opening the pages. Once I was there, it felt easier to just move forward with my work. Eventually, I finished analyzing the entire score. I learned a great deal. I applied everything I learned to the score for Finding Solace (If you want to hang with me at the premiere, you can grab a ticket here. Scroll down to Finding Solace, and I’ll see you on August 8th, 2025.)

My point: I cared more about continual engagement than completion. I ate that damned whale, one bite at a time.

If something is important enough, I will come back to it every single day, even if I don’t feel like it. I'll do a minimum of work and then walk away.

Mastery Doesn’t Require Hours and Hours of Time Every Day

Mastery doesn’t require an excessive amount of time each day. All it needs is a modest investment to reconnect. I never worry about the amount of time I invest each day, but I prioritize returning to the work. I prioritize the process.

For example, when I practice composing, I have a bare minimum task I do each day: I compose two notes. That’s it. I always have time and energy for two notes. It’s easy. I consistently come back and reengage. On other days, I have more energy to compose. I end up writing an entire page of music. I love those days! But no matter what, I always return the next day.

Mastery is continual engagement with your craft. That’s it.

I expect that whatever I continually return to will become intimately familiar to me over time. My “mastery” of the skill might appear remarkable to anyone who doesn’t see how I got there. They might think I spent far more hours learning it than I actually did. They might think I’m superhuman.

I’m not.

I’m just willing to eat whales one bite at a time.

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Reading Notes

7-9 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Why measuring progress backwards works like gangbusters; Applying to a long-term project and making my life easier.

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If you’re a regular reader of this blog, chances are you read my previous article on measuring progress backwards.

If you haven't, lets just say that there's a great deal of magic that happens when you compare yourself from where you started. It’s easy to do this, too: You first choose a goal, put in the work, and you only compare yourself to where you started. Like, that’s it. Rather than focusing on how much work you have to complete, how far you have to go, measuring progress backwards asks you to compare yourself to where you first began.

There's a wealth of goodness in measuring progress backwards. There's a smoothness that comes to our lives once we embrace this simple mental trick. I’ve noticed a massive spike in my happiness that was directly attributed to celebrating how much further I got each day on a project. This came in handy in the summer of 2024 when I approached a very brain-intensive project that required a lot of energy to complete.

Measuring Progress Backwards in a Long-Term Creative Project

Over the past 25 years, I often woke up from dreams with songs in my head. I often recorded these ideas, as well as any other musical sketch I made in my waking life. All in all, I had about 2,000 audio sketches lying around on my computer, completely disorganized, strewn about like the way my dog leaves her toys on the floor in my home. I needed to organize these sketches so that I could search them by mood, vibe, intrumentation, and genre. I could use them if only they were searchable. After I started this process, it took me two full months of consistent effort to finish. This sketch catalog is now my backup; I have a buffer of musical ideas, just in case a director asks for something brand new and I’m out of fresh ideas. It's a brain I can count on when the pressure is on. I've already used it dozens of times to find better ideas for music I'm working on. It’s more than proved it’s value.

When I shared this story originally, I got some comments to the effect of “Why did you do that? I mean, it’s so much work. It gives me a headache to think about it. Didn’t you get discouraged?”

The only way that I was able to commit to organizing this heavy mess of sketches was because I made damned sure to measure my progress backwards, every single day. Everytime I finished categorizing a sketch, I celebrated the win, verbally, out loud. I also celebrated every five sketches cataloged. I also celebrated my daily goal of 55 sketches cataloged. I also celebrated finishing 275 sketches cataloged every week.

To take the idea even further, I decided to make my celebrating way more fun. I always said something like this, out loud and obnoxiously: “Well, that was five more records than I had 10 minutes ago. Yes!” and “Wow! That was 55 more sketches than when I started this morning. Awesome!” and “Yes! That was 275 more sketches cataloged than when I started this week! I'm crushing it!”

This created momentum for my project. I got into a rhythm, a routine, a habit. I woke up every day excited to celebrate each and every little win. I watched this catalog of sketches go straight up in number, almost without me noticing. I ended up finishing the project with a week to spare, and let me tell you, I smoked a very expensive cigar to celebrate that win!

Remember, before I began the project, I had none of the thousands of sketches catalogued. None. Now, I had all of them done. I grew it from nothing.

Measure. Progress. Backwards.

I used to really fuck this up when I was younger…

This is in huge contrast to my old attitude toward long-term projects. I used to despair at the wide gulf between accomplishing a goal and where I was. It didn’t help I was comparing myself to some insane idealized version of myself. With that ideal rattling around in my head, I always felt behind, no matter how much progress I made toward any goal. I never felt good enough. I kept on thinking how much farther I had to go before I completed a goal. It always felt like the most annoying slog.

Henry David Thoreau truly nailed it when he said:

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

I look at that younger me now with a mixture of embarrassment and wisdom. I want to reach through time and slap the shit outta him, but I'm trying to be a little more self-empathetic. I just didn't know any better.

The Gap and the Gain: Always the Gain.

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, The Gap and The Gain by Benjamin Hardy and Steven Mitchell solidified a change in how I view progress that’s so fundamental that I wanted to write about it twice. I no longer look at how much farther I've got to go in any project, no matter how large or small. I only measure progress backwards, to where I started. That’s it.

The result is one of continual satisfaction. There's a smoothness to working. I feel a satisfying momentum most of the time. I only see progress. I always feel like I'm ahead of the game. No matter what, success always finds me. I don't care how my small my wins appear to others: Every small success is a huge win for me, equally worthy of celebration. I feel happier. It reminds me of this quote from the Buddha:

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.

I can only imagine what my life would have looked like if I had read The Gap and the Gain earlier, if I had only focused on the gains I made toward a goal. I mean, hindsight is definitely 20/20. If I'm lucky, I'll have the next 50 years to focus only on the gains.

Happiness is the way.

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