Deep Sea Diver: “Shovel” — How to Rebuild a Song That’s Falling Apart

In this episode of The Hardest Part, host Kieron Banerji sits down with Deep Sea Diver at Third Man Records in Soho to unpack the complicated road behind their track “Shovel.”

It started out as the easiest song they’d ever written—and nearly became the one that didn’t make the record at all.

The band explains how the song went through multiple versions, two cities, and nearly three scrapped attempts. They talk about trying to hold together wildly different ideas—from Nick Cave-inspired spoken word sections to a Kate Bush–style pop outro—and the challenge of making something cohesive out of sounds that didn’t seem to belong in the same world.

We also talk about:

• The feeling of getting sick from your own song

• Creative burnout caused by high expectations

• How co-producer Andy Park helped salvage the track by remixing old material the band had abandoned

• Why some songs only work when you finally let go

And in one of the episode’s most revealing moments, Jessica Dobson explains how a random writing exercise—based on the word “shovel”—led to some of the most vulnerable lyrics on the record, confronting her inner critic in a voice that was both joyful and aggressive. The result is a song that’s part destruction, part self-preservation.

The episode closes with a stripped-back live performance of “Shovel,” recorded at Third Man Records in London.

Artist: Deep Sea Diver
Song: “Shovel”
Album: Billboard Heart

Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Engineers: Max Walker (Mix) and Grant Frampton (Recording)
Creative Team: Callum Baker
Recording Location: Third Man Records, London

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