Originally Published on February 11th, 2026

The Great Homesickness have released a great EP. They’re teasing a full length album. I really cannot wait for it. I can almost guarantee it will be on repeat.” ~ Jeff Thomas (via Fifteen Minutes of Fame article number 84)

I published those words on March 25th last year after hearing the explosive release, Questions EP, by The Great Homesickness.

~ About the Artist ~

Who “are” The Great Homesickness, you ask?

Well, “they” are “he,” and “he” goes by the name of Brett. Brett is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and producer. He is the true definition of a “DIY” independent artist, as he actually does all the things. He doesn’t program any of the instruments that are heard in his recordings and he definitely does not use AI. If it can be heard on a track, he played the instrument. He’s also not just “good.” He is well accomplished at each instrument, as well as tracking and producing; take my word for it. Not only do I fully endorse all of his music, but I am so invested in his ability I’ve even asked him to be a feature on my own release.

Last year, I was looking for a very particular percussion part to be played for my song, Trade Places. Brett took one listen to the song, was able to offer production tips to optimize the recording and was able to return a perfect percussion arrangement based on the scattered notes I gave him. He was fully invested in the project, complimentary, and completely understood where I was coming from on the song.

A true professional.

To say the least, he still had my endorsement. The Great Homesickness are an alt-rock, grunge, and pop-punk style band who I had compared stylistically to Weezer and Dashboard Confessional. Their debut release came on December 30th of 2022 with the single release of Did You Ever. Their first EP, Still and Waiting EP, released in May of 2024 and it was followed by their second EP, Questions EP, which released on December 27th, 2024.

84. EP Review of Questions EP by The Great Homesickness

~ About the Album ~

As Deep as the Sea is a 14-song LP that released on January 29th, 2026, exclusively on Bandcamp. It runs just under one hour in length.

It includes the 6 songs that encompass his previously released EPs, as well as 8 new, unheard songs all written, performed, recorded, and produced by The Great Homesickness.

“The vision for “As Deep As The Sea” came together rather abruptly in 2016. During college (a decade earlier), I’d gotten heavily involved in an evangelical church and formed a huge portion of my identity and security around my Christian faith. Around 2014, though, I’d started questioning everything, unearthing doubts that I’d buried along the way as I read and listened to voices that expanded my view of the world but which threatened to undo everything I’d built my whole life on.” Higgins, The Great Homesickness (Bandcamp Bio)

On the surface, the musicality of As Deep as the Sea catches the first attention. The talent of this multi-instrumentalist is showcased in full as each part is played with proficiency. Stylistically, there is the previously mentioned resemblance to Weezer, but I also hear Jimmy Eat World. The album opens with the previously released single, Brother. The guitars are big, there are huge accent markers played with the drums, bass, and guitar. The vocals are mixed in a way that has garage band energy but with crisp production, which is exactly how bands like Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and so many more made their marks.

As we roll into Who Will Rescue, the percussion exhibits really complex capabilities. The drum cadences are really entertaining and give a lot of body to the song. As good as he is at every instrument, the drums truly are a feature in this song.

Once we really start breaking down the songs, and the lyrics, we can identify a theme within the entire body of work. As Brett mentions in the album bio, the narrative is his relationship with his faith. He references religion playing an important role for him growing up and as he progressed into his college years. As it happens with so many, he identifies questions and challenges that shake the foundation of a belief system he had supported his entire life: the highs of marriage, parenthood and lows like loss, as he and his wife experienced a miscarriage and, in addition to grieving that loss, they were taken aback by the overall trivial perception behind a monumentally tragic incident.

I can relate to some of what Brett is talking to. Listening to As Deep as the Sea, I hear that he is still struggling with his faith but maybe he still has it. I came from a very similar background. Religion was an important part of my upbringing. By the time I was in high school, I was ready to devote my life to ministry. So, I began pursuing that goal in college. As I continued to learn and experience life, I began developing questions. This ultimately led to my departure from faith and religion altogether.

I feel resolved in my path. That does not mean that I don’t admire those who have walked a similar path as I and, instead, leaned back into their faith. In fact, there is an admiration. Maybe even envy. Faith, in its purity, is a beautiful thing to have. I don’t start to take issue with those who have it until they turn it into a weapon to manipulate others. Faith is supposed to be a personal thing. Not something that is supposed to be used as a device to control the masses. Religion has now become this mutated, controversial thing. There are more than a quarter of a million denominations of protestant churches alone and that doesn’t account for Catholicism or Orthodox branches of Christianity. The most disappointing thing of all as it has been turned into a political weapon.

This isn’t why I walked away from my faith. It’s also not the subject of this post. It’s meant to highlight the admiration I have when I see a person devoting themselves to their faith in an appropriate way. Brett examines his faith internally. Bringing this contemplative energy to the forefront of his music amplifies its energy. It moves through the album song after song bringing deeper meaning to each revelation.

~ Final Thoughts ~

Last year, I said I couldn’t wait to hear a full length album by The Great Homesickness. A year later, the album is here and it does not disappoint. I am a music first guy and the music is represented here. Every instrument is represented well and played well. I particularly love the big guitars, the intricate progressions, and the layered sound. The drums are also right up there. Deep fills, complex cadences, and plenty of volume.

But this album is deeper than the great music that is played. The lyrical value is real, it’s relatable, and it is contemplative. It addresses who we are and what we believe in, why we believe in it, and how we believe in the things we do. The Great Homesickness doesn’t boastfully present their audience with all of the answers they think they have. Instead, As Deep as the Sea gives the listener honesty. Honesty in that, they don’t have the answers. Additionally, their feelings change. However that may be, they don’t stop feeling. That is the best we all can do.

Go press play.