London Art-Rock Collective This Is The Deep Release Anticipated Debut Album, Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End of the Beginning)

London art-rock collective This Is The Deep have announced their debut album, Everything (Dick Herman, The Whale, and The End of the Beginning), a richly imagined concept record set to arrive via 5dB Records, the label home to Mould, Martial Arts, anaiis and Ashaine White.

Blending orchestral folk, chamber-pop, psychedelic pop and adventurous art-rock, the forthcoming album finds the collective embracing an expansive musical and theatrical vision, pairing intricate arrangements with instinctive songwriting and a surreal narrative that explores perception, belief and ecological imbalance.

Self-produced with additional production from SHOLTO and Patrick Fitzroy (Katy J Pearson, Sorry), Everythingcentres on Dick Herman, an employee of fictional social media corporation Telepix. After falling asleep at his desk, Herman finds himself transported into a vivid dream, waking on an apparently perfect beach where a mysterious sun-god figure, representing the spirit of Nature, draws him into the water. What follows is a descent through increasingly strange realities and the depths of his subconscious, where a vast, insatiable whale awaits.

Part ecological parable, part fever dream and part satirical examination of Western ideology, the whale becomes a symbol of unchecked expansion and endless consumption, ultimately turning its destructive appetite against itself. As Herman travels deeper through this surreal landscape, the album examines humanity's relationship with progress, fulfilment and the realities we construct around ourselves, offering a cautionary tale about the consequences of repeating the same mistakes. Against this backdrop, human creativity emerges as a potential route towards imagining something beyond the belly of the beast.

Musically, the record draws on an eclectic range of influences, from the chamber-pop intensity of Black Country, New Road to the theatrical decadence of Roxy Music and the experimental pop instincts of The Beatles. Yet rather than settling into any particular genre, This Is The Deep move freely between styles, balancing grand orchestration and psychedelic flourishes with melodic warmth and moments of emotional clarity. The result promises a record that is as playful and unpredictable as its central narrative, while retaining a strong sense of songcraft.

Formed by visual artist and musician Ranny Macdonald, the London-based collective brings together musicians from the UK, Brazil and Japan, occupying a creative space between contemporary art, performance and music. Their approach combines the melodic sensibilities of Brill Building songwriting with the adventurous spirit of London's art-folk underground, creating layered compositions that are matched by an equally distinctive visual identity.

That world extends well beyond the recordings themselves. Painted sets, animation, theatrical storytelling and surreal visual design are integral to the project's wider universe, with live performances transforming the album's fantastical narrative into an immersive spectacle. Drawing inspiration from the imaginative worlds of Terry Gilliam, Studio Ghibli and The Mighty Boosh, the band's stage shows incorporate inflatable whale costumes, elaborate belly-of-the-beast set designs, dancers and rafts, blurring the boundaries between live music and performance art.