London-based art-rock collective This Is The Deep have announced details of their ambitious debut album, Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning), due for release on November 11 via 5dB Records, alongside the arrival of its kaleidoscopic new single, ‘I’m Making’.
Self-produced with additional production from SHOLTO and Patrick Fitzroy (Katy J Pearson, Sorry), Everythingpromises to be a richly textured collection that blends instinctive indie songwriting with expansive art-rock, orchestral folk, chamber-pop and psychedelic flourishes. Across its 13 tracks, the record unfolds as a surreal modern fable, exploring themes of perception, desire, consumption and escape.
Lead single ‘I’m Making’ offers an intoxicating first glimpse into the album’s world. Moving effortlessly between post-punk urgency, chamber-pop elegance and psychedelic abstraction, the track twists through intricate arrangements of strings, harp, synths, guitars, bass and shifting percussion. Its restless energy reflects the band’s ability to balance melodic immediacy with an uncanny, dreamlike atmosphere.
Drawing comparisons with the orchestral grandeur of the Beach Boys’ Smile sessions, the adventurous chamber-rock of Black Country, New Road, the theatrical sophistication of Roxy Music and the experimental pop instincts of The Beatles, This Is The Deep continue to carve out a distinctive musical identity. Their work also embraces surreal, The Mighty Boosh-style imagery, creating songs that feel equally playful, cinematic and emotionally resonant.
Speaking about the new single, band leader Ranny (Ranald) Macdonald said: “‘I’m Making’ is a meditation on creativity, art, and perception. It explores the idea that everyday life is essentially an endless series of creative processes where we make everything—from conversations and journeys to spaces, and ultimately our own realities.”
Founded by Macdonald, who works across visual art and music, This Is The Deep brings together musicians from the UK, Brazil and Japan. Their collaborative approach extends well beyond the music itself, incorporating painted sets, animation, theatrical storytelling and surreal visual design into every aspect of the project.
Inspired by the imaginative worlds of Terry Gilliam, Studio Ghibli and The Mighty Boosh, the band plans to transform future live performances into immersive theatrical experiences featuring inflatable whale costumes, elaborate stage designs, dancers, rafts and striking visual installations that blur the line between concert and performance art.
At the heart of Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning) lies the story of Dick Herman, a tech employee at the fictional social media corporation Telepix who falls asleep at his desk and embarks on a dreamlike journey beneath the sea. Guided by a mysterious sun-god figure, Herman drifts through surreal landscapes populated by jealousy, distorted realities and melancholy encounters before confronting a colossal whale whose insatiable hunger becomes an allegory for limitless consumption.
Part ecological parable, part satire and part fever dream, the album examines exploitation, curated realities and spiritual emptiness without offering easy conclusions, instead inviting listeners to imagine possibilities beyond modern excess.
Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End Of The Beginning) arrives on November 11 via 5dB Records, with This Is The Deep set to celebrate the release with a headline performance at Oslo, Hackney on November 20.
Watch below:
