What inspired me most when developing my tracks for this project was the overall theme of journeys from the book and the human element of these stories at sea, which is what I found to be the most impactfully tangible thing about this project. Overall, I wanted to combine these two concepts to create a narrative of my own that mirrors and is inspired by the vivid stories Ian tells. The titles I used are based on journeys I imagined, as well as a general warning — with my two songs being the actuality of that warning. I opted for this darker approach to my music because, for me, the book really revealed to me the loneliness, anxiety and hopelessness often experienced out on the open seas.

The Outlaw Ocean Project in general has completely changed my perspective of the ocean. In the U.S., the sea is generally thought of as a place to vacation - your whole perception of it is the tiny crust of the beach and one mile of water that you can see in front of you. I rarely ever thought about what happens across that vastness, especially for the countries on the other side of that blue expanse, and the effects that being at sea can have on a person’s mind.

Sam el