The Sunken Sea is an art rock project from Melbourne musician Dougal James. Today we’re pleased to share Underwood, a compelling Covid-era solo double single release which marks a significant step forward for the songwriter, one which is worthy of repeat listens.
“In early March, I flew down to rural Launceston to stay with my parents for a week,” James explains. “In that week, the country locked down, and I lost my job and all my gigs around Melbourne.”
“I’ve now been in Tasmania for nearly three months. These songs were crafted in a frenzied few days where I grappled with frustration at the chaos of this virus-ridden world, and the loss of my old life in grey old Melbourne.”
“Armed with one mic, a drum machine, a battered old bass, a dead-stringed guitar and an out of tune 1920s piano, these tunes are sparser than the usual full-blown band affair. The dry punch of Beat Your Chest rolls into Underwood’s burbling expanse, illustrating my bushland dissociation from the demise of my busy urban existence.”