When you are having trouble with inspiration and the weight of the world appears to be on your shoulders, the best course of action is to volunteer somewhere where people are worse off than you are. That was the philosophy that Deep Sea Diver band leader Jessica Dobson took after touring left her without much musical inspiration. What she did, was to volunteer at Aurora Commons in Seattle, where she gained a “new depth of empathy” and found her musical inspiration again. Out of that experience, the long-player Impossible Weight (October 2020) was born.

Impossible Weight (seen/heard here), the title track to the LP, is a testament to what it’s like trying to please too many people until you just can’t do it anymore:

“But that was then and this is now
I tried so hard not to let you all down
It’s an impossible weight
so I’ll just let you down now“

Sings Dobson with guest vocalist Sharon Van Etten on the catchy refrain. The guitar strums here provide a frenetic, rhythmic backdrop, and a sense of urgency to the lyrics. A song that is both beautiful, intimate, and confessional, Impossible Weight, rocks, but not too hard, and balances the instruments against the lyric beautifully. From the tentative beginning strums, the guitar builds into the vocal quickly along with the intensity. If your body isn’t moving by the end of the track, then there’s something wrong with you! 

Throughout Impossible Weight (the LP) different themes, both musically and lyrically, are explored. The lead-off track, Shattering The Hourglass, is a lush electro-pop affair, that lyrically explores what it’s like to question whether you have what it takes to do something, and then realize that you don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. Wishing takes on the frustration of a life that you just can’t turn around. Switchblade deals with a cyclical life of abuse. 

Yes, much of the subject matter here is dark while musically it goes in many directions from the slower to the more upbeat. It’s a journey worth taking, however, and one that has messages that really demand to be heard. From a production standpoint, there are moments where the tracks are overproduced. Many of these same tracks start out just right gain a little bit in production, and then just go overboard. That’s a minor complaint in this case, given the material Deep Sea Diver is sharing.

Deep Sea Diver is multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dobson, with husband and drummer Peter Mansen, Garrett Gue (bass), and Elliot Jackson (guitar and synths). You can find more information on the band by heading up to their nicely formatted and complete website. There’s a store link that links back to their bandcamp.com site, where you can find Impossible Weight in CD, vinyl, and digital download. Read the Info link for Dobson’s journey to creating Impossible Weight. 

Pick up some great indie rock now by picking up Impossible Weight!

Note: With Covid-19 still around, probably to be with us for some time, artists like Deep Sea Diver and many others need your purchases to keep their heads above water. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times. –Vodka