Clear Deep Sea crafts stunning moods on surreal sounds on their self-titled EP

“Speak through thin walls,”  sings Elijah Glovas-Kurtz on “624,” a track of off the Humilitarian drummer’s self-titled solo project Clear Deep Sea. On the five-song self-titled EP, its elements of lo-fi and shoegaze pull on these lyrics, making it sound as if you are hearing the music from a different room.

Clear Deep Sea starts and ends with distortion, while different vocal effects and voice samples appear throughout to create unique atmospheres around the instrumental arrangements. The opening “Marlene” feels keenly similar to the sounds of a basement show, but this sort of sonic texture doesn’t exist on every track — they each have an identity of their own.

There’s almost a sudden departure from a suspenseful, eerie mood heard up through “Rudy,” a particularly experimental track in terms of its spoken samples, to “No more gender reveal parties in LA,” a track with brighter soundscapes that don’t fully abandon the lo-fi qualities with distortion returning at its end.

The project’s closer “Red Sky at Morning” maintains the brighter atmosphere of the preceding track with hints of dream-pop, while pulling in elements heard all throughout, making for a cohesive conclusion that calls to the project’s name, “Following streams and back to clear deep seas / Starry night, red sky in the morning.” 

A detail shared on Instagram about the project’s making speaks to the different environments created by each song: 

“All these songs were written and recorded last year from the spring to fall in bedrooms, basements, kitchens and cars.”

While Clear Deep Sea delivers distinct styles on a track-by-track level, it still feels like a holistic project that is united by the intrinsic, atmospheric qualities of instrumental distortion and ethereal vocals. Simultaneously, Glovas-Kurtz makes listeners feel distant, yet immersed in the compelling sounds of each track.

Listen below, and find out more about the band on Instagram and Facebook.