Drowned By Locals marks its five-year anniversary with a three-volume compilation tracing the label’s evolving sound, its cohort of misfits, and unfolding trajectory. Volume I gathers new works and uncovered pieces from artists across the DBL orbit, including those who have released with the label, collaborated on music or radio, crossed paths through unfinished or never-realized ideas, or remain part of its future. Released alongside Black Circle—a manifesto written for the occasion by Ian Bruner and published by Drowned By Public—the project looks back only to set the stage for what comes next.

"Tantalus stands beneath bowed fruit trees, but as she moves to consume, the branch bends away. With each pang of thirst, the water ebbs further."