Deep Sea Diver's 'Billboard Heart' Deserves the Love

Five years after Impossible Weight, Deep Sea Diver has achieved the seemingly impossible by cementing their status as a musical heavyweight. Their latest album, Billboard Heart, is a breath of fresh air in a time of tension. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a Washington ferry ride (where most of this piece was written). It’s the soundtrack for a spontaneous night out—when life imitates an indie movie. Billboard Heart is a body of work that was created with heart and soul.

Deep Sea Diver has matured since their debut album History Speaks, yet the band's fourth effort (and first release from renowned label Sub Pop) exudes a youthful joy that cuts deep. The record's 11 songs are a mix of radio-friendly pop, pensive synth tunes, and riff-heavy fare that's fit for stadiums. Rocking between the haunting and electrifying, Billboard Heart is a creative manifestation that showcases the band at their best.

Following a stint opening for Pearl Jam on their Dark Matter tour, Deep Sea Diver is ready to embark on their own headlining tour in the United States. With their Seattle date already completely sold out, and following a week-long celebration of album release events, the band is basking in their well-deserved success. The band's ascent has been over a decade in the making.

Born of a strained recording process between Los Angeles and Seattle, Dobson and Deep Sea Diver have emerged triumphant with a fresh voice. Billboard Heart was written by lead singer and instrumentalist Jessica Dobson. Dobson is joined by Peter Mansen on drums, Elliot Jackson on guitar and synthesizer, and Garrett Gue on bass. Composers for the album include Dobson, Mansen, Jackson, Yuuki Matthews, Adam Schatz, and California folk artist Madison Cunningham. Additionally, the album was produced by Dobson and Andy D. Park.

The title track leads the record, the audio opening like a sunrise. "Billboard Heart" sets the tone for the rest of the album, as a wistful song about a lost love. "What Do I Know," "Emergency," and "Shovel" are more urgent, although catchy songs. The album slows down with its fourth track, "Tiny Threads," which continues the element of unraveling in a toxic relationship. Later on, "Let Me Go" includes the talents of Madison Cunningham in another heartbreaker of a song. Billboard Heart is an extremely cohesive album, an homage to the relationships strewn about the past.

Dobson's colorful lyricism is the key ingredient that anchors Deep Sea Diver's artistry and distinguishes their music. Dobson has penned lines such as "Don't fan these sympathy flames... I'll give you anything..." (Emergency), "And I think I love you the most when you're unraveling... Always held together by tiny little threads..." (Tiny Threads), "Your confetti of thoughts are lying on the rug..." (Always Waving Goodbye), just to name a few examples of clever wordsmithing.

Mansen's frenzied percussion, Jackson and Dobson's guitars and synth work round out Gue's steady bass riffs. Not unlike its previous work, Deep Sea Diver plays with polish.

Not surprisingly, Billboard Heart contains no skips. A musical journey from start to finish, the record culminates in a melancholy, yet inviting "Happiness Is Not a Given." Dobson's lyrics leave a space for more with "I'll be the door you can open up into the arms of an ocean."

It's evident that Deep Sea Diver prioritizes quality over quantity, but hopefully the wait between albums won't feel too long, if the band plans to move forward. Overall, Billboard Heart in its entirety feels like some sort of long goodbye, but hopefully, it's not an actual goodbye.

Billboard Heart is now available on all major streaming platforms.

The record was released on February 28th and is now available on vinyl.

Deep Sea Diver is set to tour in the United States beginning March 30th. For tour dates, visit the band's website.