8/10
Few debut albums arrive with quite as much imagination as 'Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning)'. A gloriously off-kilter collision of psychedelic pop, orchestral folk and adventurous art-rock, This Is The Deep's first full-length is an invitation into a world where surreal storytelling, eccentric characters and big ideas sit alongside genuinely infectious songwriting.
Centred around the bizarre dreamworld of office-bound tech bro Dick Herman, the album takes a sharp detour from corporate monotony into something altogether stranger. Featuring mythical sun gods, shifting realities and a gargantuan whale whose insatiable appetite eventually becomes its undoing, it's an absurdist tale with a surprisingly sharp edge. Beneath the colourful mythology lies a pointed critique of consumerism, technological obsession and humanity's destructive appetite for endless expansion.
Thankfully, the ambition isn't confined to its storytelling. Musically, the collective are equally difficult to pin down, weaving intricate chamber-pop arrangements, psychedelic flourishes and theatrical art-rock into something that feels both wonderfully chaotic and meticulously considered. There are nods to the eccentricity of Roxy Music, the melodic inventiveness of The Beatles and the adventurous spirit of Black Country, New Road, but This Is The Deep have a distinct identity of their own.
What really makes 'Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning)' click is its refusal to take itself too seriously. Its sprawling concept and surreal imagery could easily disappear up their own mythology, but there's enough melodic warmth, playful experimentation and genuine songwriting craft to keep things grounded. It's ambitious, occasionally absurd and all the better for it.
In a musical landscape that can often feel a little too predictable, This Is The Deep are a welcome breath of fresh air. 'Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning)' is an imaginative, wonderfully eccentric debut that proves there's still plenty of room for music to be strange, theatrical and completely unpredictable. A compelling introduction to a collective seemingly limited only by the boundaries of their own imagination.
Watch the video for lead single 'Everything' below
