As we enter the second half of February, it’s worth noting that several hundred full-length albums have already been released in 2016, and several hundred more have already been announced. Though this might qualify as good news for listeners who prize an abundance of options above all else, it means something very different for the people who actually make records that aren’t called Anti or Blackstar. More than ever, artists who hope to avoid becoming another one of the unheard/unheard-of million are required to be savvy about how and when to insert their work into the world.
You might think such savviness would be second nature for Jessica Dobson. She’s been a professional musician for more than a decade, having signed an ill-fated major-label record deal before the age of 20, and then serving as a touring member of the Shins, Beck, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But to hear her tell it, having to wait the better part of a year to release Secrets, the second full-length album by Deep Sea Diver—the Seattle band in which she sings, plays guitar, and writes songs—has been a more grueling process than making the record to begin with…
