Date Signed: September 2024
Label: Sub Pop Records
Type of Music: Indie Rock
Band Members: Jessica Dobson, Peter Mansen, Elliot Jackson
Management: Red Light Management
Publicity: Frank Nieto - frankn@subpop.com
Seattle-based rock band Deep Sea Diver, led by guitarist and vocalist Jessica Dobson, is celebrating their stronger support from their new home at the legendary Sub Pop Records. With the backing of the label, Dobson most looks forward to the extra care and assistance that she will have access to, something foreign coming from her hustling DIY nature.
"In the beginning, I have been close to the process and it can be painful at times," Dobson shares. "Hearing crickets from the time you send your record in. 'Is it in the void?' 'Do people not like it?' This time around, it was pretty quick that we got responses and Sub Pop was one of the first that said, 'We believe this. Let's keep talking.'"
"With self-released albums on an independent label, we know what goes into promoting an album, keeping it on the radar... there are moving parts," says Dobson.
Dobson has logged time as a touring member for Beck and The Shins and has performed with numerous other acts, including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spoon, Dinosaur Jr. and more. In addition to headline touring, they've supported Death Cab for Cutie, Wilco, and most recently, playing to the largest audiences of their career, supporting Pearl Jam.
"It's quite a gift for us to have landed on a label that we have respected for years," says Dobson. "We went with SubPop because they were on board and loved what we were doing already. That's what we'd hope for when signing to a label is that they love you already. You're not having to work backwards."
As for connecting with fans and labels alike, Dobson advises, "You cannot force an audience to love what you do. You can just make the best [album] you can, and the people will decide."
Deep Sea Diver recently shared a video for “Let Me Go,” a collaboration with Madison Cunningham. Their fourth album Billboard Heart is out now. Check the group on their tour, which kicks off and finishes up with hometown shows in Washington. – Joseph Maltese
