The Ice Melted We Had to Swim is the latest single from The Black Drumset, the recording and live project of multi-instrumentalist Brian Willey. Their forthcoming album, Friends In Dark Places, is due out July 17th, 2026.
Written and recorded between 2021 and 2025, Friends In Dark Places began taking shape during Willey’s time in Tucson, Arizona, where he spent two years immersed in the landscape of the Sonoran Desert amid the height of the Covid pandemic. The album was later completed after his return to Austin, Texas.
While the record carries forward the synth-heavy textures and rhythmic foundations that defined The Black Drumset’s earlier releases, it also marks a shift in direction. Guitars and vocals take on a more prominent role, accompanied by lyrics that feel more intimate, reflective, and direct than ever before.
On the new single, Willey says: "This song bridges the various musical directions of the album. I started with a chugging guitar riff, which I thought would develop into some type of heavy psychedelic thing, but it veered off in another direction. The lyrics are about gathering your friends around yourself in order to move through difficult times, especially when those difficulties come wave after wave."
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The Black Drumset
Video by Brian Willey
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