For my new year’s resolution, I gave myself something fairly simple: I wanted to be able to discover new genres of music and expose myself to a wider variety of artists. However, I decided to make the task incredibly daunting by aiming to listen to three new albums a day. While it may sound insane, and incredibly time consuming, I’ve found so far that my goal of listening to 1,095 albums by the end of this year has already done numbers to my taste in music.
One album in particular that I’ve listened to has stuck with me for the past week. Released by Alec Duckart, or Searows, “Death in the Business of Whaling” is a calming composition of nine tracks with a run time of 42 minutes.
The album is relatively new, having just been released on Jan. 23, 2026. In his previous works, Duckart maintained a soft indie sound reminiscent of “Stranger in the Alps” by Phoebe Bridgers or other indie artists. With this album, he focuses more on storytelling, exploring his inner turmoil creating a sound that sets this album apart from his previous albums.
While the lead vocals are still soft, the subject matter is haunting. Duckart explores themes of exclusion from peers, loss, and rejection. Paired with mixes of acoustic and electric guitars and subtle drumming, the music feels incredibly painful. Each track tells a story of what could have been, had the circumstances been different.
It’s beautiful to sit with an album like this one, one song at a time, knowing it will be lingering in the forefront of your mind for days to come. Despite his last album being released in 2022, Duckart continued to excel and produce exceptional work this past month. It’s a perfect album for a rainy day or a long car ride with no destination in mind.
This album dances in your thoughts in a lovingly melancholic way, provoking the listener’s feelings. I’m personally looking forward to his future work, and I highly recommend “Death in the Business of Whaling” to those who find comfort in sad music and can avoid being dragged down by the tragedy to find its true beauty. Overall, I rate the album four out of five Big Oles.
