Deep Sea Diver’s Billboard Heart Captured Our Heart

On Billboard Heart, the fourth album from Seattle’s Deep Sea Diver, and their first on Sub Pop records, demonstrates an incredible depth of emotion, talent, and a much-needed reminder of how awesome a killer guitar solo is.

Deep Sea Diver is vocalist/guitarist Jessica Dobson’s project. Her unique voice and badass guitar playing are supported by a talented band, including her husband, Peter Mansen, on drums.

I got turned on to this band on their last album, 2020’s Impossible Weight, a nearly perfect album released at a perfect time. We needed music like that to get us through the worst early parts of the pandemic. Billboard Heart comes at another desperate time and again provides escape and relief when we need it most.

Deep Sea Diver’s unique sound, propelled by Jessica’s unique voice and outstanding guitar, is the star of the show, but the songs are expertly crafted with driving rhythms, crashing drums, and echoey production that sounds modern and classic simultaneously.

Dobson crafts catchy melodies, driving riffs, and fun solos. Songs like Emergency harken back to an emerging alternative sound from the 80’s punctuated with a crunchy driving guitar riff you can’t help but air guitar along to.

What Do I Know and Shovel, two songs released ahead of the album’s release, feature the best the band has to offer. The guitar solo in What Do I Know is wild and reaching, a tremendous showcase of Dobson’s skill. Shovel features tempo changes and highlight Jessica’s voice around a memorable showcase of new waveesque production.

The highlight of the album is the ballad Always Waving Goodbye. It’s a powerhouse tune that showcases Jessica’s vocals and guitar. A catchy memorable anthem with another amazing guitar solo!

In many ways, Billboard Heart feels like a direct sequel to Impossible Weight. The themes, sound, and production are all very similar to the last album. There’s even a killer feature on Let Me Go by Madison Cunningham, a spiritual successor to Sharon Van Etten’s appearance on the title track of Impossible Weight. Impossible Weight was one of my favorite albums of 2020, and Billboard Heart has already taken up a place in my heart for 2025.