Two Formidable Local Songwriters Team Up To Form The Pennys
Photo Credit: Alex Young
When Ray Seraphin and Mike Ramos announced earlier this year that they would be teaming up to form a new band called The Pennys, one could have been forgiven for thinking the story was old news.
As two of the more enduring figures in the local scene—Seraphin is prolific solo artist who manages the label Take a Turn records and Ramos is a ubiquitous figure, recording under the moniker Tony Jay while playing in outfits like Flowertown and Sad-Eyed Beatniks—it would have made total sense if the duo combined efforts long ago.
Add in the fact that their sounds are so compatible—Seraphin’s fuzzy power-pop leanings nestle in perfectly with Ramos’ penchant for lo-fi, humid production techniques—and it’s actually pretty shocking to discover that, yes, The Pennys project is the first time these two have recorded together.
Although both Ramos and Seraphin (who records solo as R.E. Seraphin) have been playing in Bay Area bands for decades, it wasn’t until a 2022 tour together that they considered collaborating musically together.
“I had the idea of working with Mike for a while, because I really enjoy his music and the recording ambiance that he gets,” said Seraphin. “I asked him if we could be interested in recording an album of mine, but at the time, I didn’t really have any material. He was interested in that and he kind of kept asking me for a progress update, but I was putting it off because I didn’t have any songs. Finally, I cobbled together a couple of tunes, but I really wanted to make this a collaborative thing, so I proposed that we make an album together.”
That album—the band’s self-titled EP, which came out on May 1—is a testament to the duo’s undeniable chemistry, begging the question why they hadn’t teamed up earlier. Recorded in two days in Ramos’ old apartment in Bernal Heights last year, the album is a heartworn collection of frayed, poignant love songs.
Incorporating elements of gentle psychedelic rock, wayward Americana, lo-fi bedroom pop and 80s British twee sensibilities, the release feels completely fully-formed, the product of two songwriters whose talents blend seamlessly. The EP comes out swinging with the beautiful, Girls-indebted “Say Something,” a desperate tale of longing punctuated with Ramos’ pleading chorus line, as he asks his lover to “please, please, please/Say something.”
“I’m a crybaby and I’ve had my heart broken many times,” said Ramos, who credited Christopher Owens of Girls with being a songwriting influence. “That stuff tends to come out in my songs.”
The six-track EP has absolutely no filler, with highlights being the jaunty and jammy “One Million Things,” the no-wave ballad “Long in the Tooth,” and the Beachwood Sparks-inflected “Trilobites.” Seraphin said the latter tune (which takes its name from a long-extinct marine arthropod) was inspired by a short story from the writer Breece D'J Pancake and a harrowing experience living in Texas.
“That song [“Trilobites”] was about my time living in Austin, which I found to be pretty stagnating,” said Seraphin. “There are certain references to living in the South and just dealing with a pretty awful time. At that part of my life, I was really struggling with alcoholism, and I’m proud to say I’m eight years sober now. I was not in a good frame of mind then, and I think that song reflects that sentiment.”
The album closes out with “No More Tears, Pt.2” a song title that would perhaps suggest the futility of relationships—the inevitably that tears will flow, despite some solemn vows to the contrary. In reality, Ramos said the name of the song came more out of necessity.
“Well, I found out that Ozzy Osbourne has a song called ‘No More Tears,’” said Ramos. “I had this song idea that never came into fruition until we started recording. And it wasn’t until we were doing the album art that I realized Ozzy had the same song title. So, I just added on that Pt. 2 to make it a little more different.”
That track features Ramos’ signature tape-hiss recording style—an approach that imbues his songs with an endearing level of intimacy. It’s a fitting end to an album filled with contemplative songs that draw strength upon their tenderness—a tenderness that is strengthened by Ramos and Seraphin’s clear mutual respect for each other.
“Working with Ray is so easy,” said Ramos. “There was never any point of us rejecting song ideas or anything. We have this aesthetic that overlaps in so many ways. It’s important to appreciate that kind of thing when it happens.
Seraphin and Ramos said they weren’t sure if their project would leave to live performances—at the moment they have no gigs scheduled and aren’t actively seeking out shows—or further albums, but they both emphasized how rewarding the process has been to date.
“If there is one thing I’d like people to take away from this album,” said Seraphin. “Is that friendship is everlasting.”
To purchase a copy of the Penny’s self-titled debut EP, visit the Mt. St. Mtn. website here.