Strange Mornings in the Garden

The Loyal Seas

The Loyal Seas are Tanya Donelly and Brian Sullivan.

For the last decade, trailblazing alternative rock figurehead Tanya Donelly - co-founder of Belly, Throwing Muses and The Breeders - has pursued meaningful collaborations with favorite artists and friends. The resulting work is by turns poignant, delightful and entirely surprising, melding folk, rock, pop and orchestral sounds. Her latest, The Loyal Seas, pairs Donelly with New England cult-favorite Brian Sullivan, who's worked under the moniker Dylan in the Movies since the mid '00s. A skilled singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sullivan's debut, Feel the Pull (2005), and follow-up full-length, Sweet Rebel Thee (2014), are each teeming with a lush, discrete form of alt-pop, Sullivan's private mind garden translated as cinematic vignettes.

Donelly and Sullivan first met in the mid '90s at Fort Apache Studios, the famed New England recording studio that has produced legions of beloved albums. They were friends almost instantly and have collaborated over years, appearing on two of American Laundromat's most popular tribute compilations. The pair contributed a sparkling cover of "The Lovecats" for Just Like Heaven: A Tribute to The Cure (2009), where Donelly's honeyed rasp is brightened by the contrast of Sullivan's lower-register growls. Their take on "Shoplifters of the World Unite," from Please, Please, Please: A Tribute to the Smiths (2011), glimmers with melancholic wonder, Donelly's silken lead vocals textured by an orchestral scythe and Sullivan's backing anchor.

The Loyal Seas' dynamic debut album, "Strange Mornings in the Garden" features 10 glorious originals written by Donelly and Sullivan, and showcases particular sides of their personalities with luxuriant, sweeping ballads to tightly-knit, kinetic alt-pop. It's a beautiful album from start to finish. Mastered by Sean Glonek (Matthew Sweet, Juliana Hatfield, Waxahatchee), with original art by Nicole Anguish (Nada Surf, Letters to Cleo, Lake Street Dive).