Few bands can claim a history as deep-rooted and enduring as Deep Sea Camels. Formed from a friendship that dates back to 1975, the indie-rock outfit has spent decades absorbing, evolving with, and ultimately channeling the shifting tides of music culture into something distinctly their own. From the raw urgency of post-punk beginnings to a richer, more expansive sonic palette today, their journey is not one of nostalgia, but of continued reinvention, driven by a shared instinct that only time and trust can build.
With their third album So It Begins, the band reaches a new creative peak, delivering a hook-heavy, sonically adventurous collection that reflects both personal growth and a broader commentary on modern life. Blending indie rock foundations with punk energy, textured keys, and unexpected stylistic detours, the record captures the chaos, disconnection, and resistance that define the current moment. It’s an album that feels immediate and urgent, yet layered with the perspective of artists who have lived through multiple cultural eras and continue to find relevance within them.
As they prepare to bring these songs to the stage with a renewed lineup and a palpable sense of momentum, Deep Sea Camels stand at an intriguing crossroads, both seasoned and revitalized. In conversation with Earmilk, the band opens up about the evolution of their sound, the enduring power of long-term collaboration, and the themes that shape So It Begins. They also reflect on what it means to create meaningful music in an increasingly fragmented world, and why, after all these years, the spark that started it all still burns just as brightly.
You’ve known each other since 1975, how has that decades-long friendship shaped the way you make music today?
We lived through some amazing times together as the music scene expanded and evolved in the 70s, 80s and 90s, so we have a lot of shared influences and experiences, and that gives us a sort of shared shorthand for working together on new music. We don’t have to over-explain things to each other because we just get it. If the guitar is sounding a bit too “80s hair band” then you know we’re going to change that!
That’s not to say we’re entirely on the same page all of the time. The whole process of writing material in a band involves a lot of push and pull because we’re all trying to land the song in a slightly different place. But it all works out, and those long bonds of friendship help keep things in perspective.
How has your dynamic as a band evolved from your early days to So It Begins?
If you go back to the early 80s when we first started writing, it was very much in the post-punk mold – choppy guitars, driving bass, moody lyrics and strictly no guitar solos! These days, our song writing reflects a broader range of influences. Even though we’d never have admitted it in 1982, we really did like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. So you’ve got this mashup of 70s, 80s and 90s influences all converging. In our first album (“Cheapside and Kings” 2023), it’s still very guitar-centric, then we bring some keys and horns into the second album (“This is Where We Are Now” 2024) and now you’re hearing a continued evolution along those lines. It’s a combination of being more confident incorporating other instrumentation into the song writing, plus just enjoying those sounds.
The album is described as “explosive” and “hook-heavy”, what did you want to do differently this time around?
We wanted to make a record full of songs that people would remember after a single listen and want to hear live. Melody has always been important to us, but this time we were particularly conscious of making sure every track had strong hooks and a real sense of momentum. At the same time, we wanted the music to reflect the energy and unpredictability of the world around us. There are serious themes running through the album, but we never wanted that to come at the expense of excitement or enjoyment. Rock music should move people, make them think and make them want to turn the volume up.
Ultimately, we set out to make an album that was ambitious in its ideas but immediate in its impact—something that rewards repeated listens while still grabbing you from the very first play.
Why did So It Begins feel like the right title for this chapter?
The title is deliberately a little paradoxical, given this is our third album. But So It Begins isn't really about us as a band—it's about the world we're living in. It reflects a feeling that we're entering the early stages of a new political and social order, one that seems increasingly chaotic, authoritarian and, in some respects, justifiably describable as fascistic. Many of the problems we face today are not new; they're the result of repeatedly failing to learn the lessons of history. The warning signs have always been there, yet societies have a remarkable tendency to forget.
So the title carries a sense of foreboding as much as renewal. It's an acknowledgement that something significant is beginning, whether we welcome it or not. The album wrestles with that tension: the fear that old mistakes are being repeated, but also the belief that recognizing what's happening is the first step towards resisting it and building something better.
Keyboards play a much more central role on this album, what inspired that shift?
Well, we got ourselves a permanent keyboard player so that may have had something to do with it! But seriously, we knew we wanted to expand our sound with keys but we were a little hesitant on the second album to go too far in that direction without adding a keyboard player to the band. Now we have Stephen (Wigmore) onboard, there’s no such constraint and you’re hearing the keys play a more central role on some of the songs like "Same Rules Apply" and "Guilt and Virtue". It also helps that Stephen is very talented and willing to accommodate some of the more esoteric requests Mike drops on him!
There’s a blend of indie rock, punk energy, and even touches of country and club music, how do you balance such a wide palette without losing cohesion?
We don’t really overthink it. You get an idea for a song and a certain sound you want to put out into the world and you just run with it. So what you’re hearing on the album is really just a cross section of the sounds we like to make. There’s clearly an indie rock core to it but there’s lots of other sounds and styles that we appreciate so you’ll see some of that showing up in the song writing too. Another factor is that the music scene is just different now – it’s much more accepting of varied styles all mixed up. Back in the 70s and 80s, things were just a bit more rigid. Bands were in specific lanes, and those lanes represented a musical clan, so if the band stepped outside that lane they tended to get lambasted! I remember when Bauhaus released “Who Killed Mr Moonlight” – a piano centered song, God forbid – it seemed like a complete betrayal of their sound. As Morrisey once sang “I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrible”.
The album tackles modern life, disconnection, power structures, and resistance, what inspired these themes?
Well, it’s not like we’re all living in some kumbaya land where there’s nothing to write about! Just look around and you can see we’re living in very fractured and turbulent times. And this isn’t something new or transitory. When you’ve been around awhile like we have, you see these themes resurfacing, they just don’t go away, there was no “end of history”, this is who we are – it’s just wired into human nature. Maybe the title is a little plea to get people to raise their eyes and realise that all that shitty stuff they learned about in history classes had a beginning, a turning point, and it feels like we’re here again.
Without wanting to come over as too highbrow, much of the underlying theme started to materialise for us when we rediscovered the poem “September 1st 1939” by Auden. Aside from it being an astonishing piece of work in its own right, parts of it felt so prescient and so resonant with where we are now, we couldn’t ignore it. We borrowed the line “light an affirming flame” from it; a commitment to stand against what seem to be unbearable negative forces and danger.
So I guess we’re just lending our voice to the resistance, while also trying to find some amusement and enjoyment in the absurdity of it all. There’s something incredibly powerful in sharing observations and, hopefully, some of things we write about will connect with people.
What track do you think is the standout from the album and why?
We’re proud of all the songs. We all have a bit of a Presbyterian work ethic and won’t inflict anything on the world until we know it’s as good as it can be. If pushed, "Same Rules Apply" probably qualifies as the stand out. It’s the album opener and it’s been a particularly strong single for us. We’re really happy with how that song turned out and the reception it’s received. It’s full of memorable melodies in the vocals and guitars and keys. Actually, some of them are quite delicate, almost fragile melodies but underpinning the whole song is this massive driving bass that just demands the song is played at full blast. We like how it crosses genres with a bit of surf guitar, ska chords and a Doors / Stranglers nod in the keys. Someone commented it felt familiar but new at the same time. That pretty much sums up what we’re going for.
All that said, each of the songs has a unique appeal to us. There’s no album fillers in there.
You’ve said these songs are meant to be played live, how do you expect them to evolve on stage?
All the songs are very playable if that makes sense. We don't rely on heavy effects, processing, sampling etc so pretty much what you hear on the album is what they sound like live.
Of course, the live setting creates something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Apart from the potential for some real interaction with our fans, it’s where we find out what really strikes home with people. When it goes well, a gig is a big positive feedback loop, fans and band alike feeding from each other – that’s what we’re looking forward to most.
What can fans expect from your upcoming shows and tour?
We’re just bursting at the seams to get on stage and play these songs, so I think you’ll see a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the band. We know money is tight and we’re going to do our best to make sure you feel like it was worth coming along to see us. I know it’s a bit of a cliche but we just want to make our shows a memorable experience.
If there’s one feeling you hope listeners take from this album, what would it be?
Hopefully, we can help reaffirm that real music is still alive and kicking, and there are still honest, under-the-radar indie bands out there cranking out good music that’s worth a listen. There is an alternative to oceans of AI slop and we intend to be part of that!
At a more personal level, we all know that wonderful feeling you get when you discover new music that you really like, so we’re just hoping that we can provide that for whatever audience is out there looking for some good hook-driven indie rock with a bit of attitude, swagger and some familiar references.
What's next for Deep Sea Camels?
Aside from world domination, our immediate focus is standing up the live band and getting going with some local gigs. We’ve been primarily a recording project for the last few years, working through a long backlog of song ideas and collaborating with some great musicians along the way, but now we’ve got a full and permanent line up sorted out so it’s time to put this show on the road.
On top of that, we already have a healthy backlog of new songs in the pipeline, so we’ll be working on new material as well, with some new singles coming out later in the year.
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