Album Review: D at Sea - 'Unconscious'

10 March 2013 | 11:48 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

D At Sea and his debut EP Unconscious may just be the begging of a new dynamic in how indie artists go about making their fame.

D at Sea is an artist of the new generation. Making his fame from posting his own acoustic interpretations of beloved hardcore tunes such as Amity’s ‘Anchors’ and Parkway Drive’s ‘Carrion,’ on YouTube, his innovation and undeniable talent has allowed him to tour with some of hardcore’s biggest names, just from his covers alone. All his hard work has paid off big time and now truly having created a name for himself, modest Brisbane boy, Doyle Perez, going by the pseudonymn of D at Sea has just extended his repertoire with the release of ‘Unconscious.’ An EP that constitutes the softly quaint, occasionally harrowing acoustic musings that listeners are used to from his YouTube videos, 'Unconscious' introduces a dash of personality that makes D at Sea’s first offering shine.

'Unconscious' makes a statement with its single track ‘December,’ demonstrating with the use of simplistic vocal layering and unobtrusive acoustic guitar work, that an album doesn’t have to be complex to be impressive. While D at Sea obviously has roots in the hardcore genre, he has chosen in his first record to veer far away from this path and instead opted to deliver to us a concentrated dosage of sweet, sometimes cheery pop tunes, as can be heard in ‘Without You’ – a song that provides the rich personality and charm mentioned earlier.

With song writing and instrumentation that appears effortless for D at Sea, the title track on the record, ‘Unconscious,’ with its catchy guitar riffs and darker lyrics that begin to reveal the hardcore learning of D At Sea, may be one of the stand out tracks on an EP that proudly boasts a filler count of zero. Again, we hear a comforting simplicity in the vocal work and lyrics, with the repetition of “its all over now” in ‘All Over’ which instead of becoming formulaic and repetitive, still maintains the right amount of variation to keep listeners hooked. ‘Unconscious’ ends on a delicious finisher in the form the nostalgic ambiance of ‘Take Me Home,’ which is bound to leave the listener craving to hear more.

The initial taste of D at Sea’s original material in the shape of ‘Unconscious’ has left an impression that will last, and simultaneously established one of the scenes most promising Australian artists as no longer a dabbler in covers, but an accomplished singer/song writer in his own right who will soon have both hardcore kids and fans of the acoustic eagerly awaiting his next move.

1. December

2. All Over

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3. Unconscious

4. Without You

5. Take Me Home