'Deep in the Ocean' is the anomaly that defines this record: 100 BPM while four of the six cuts orbit between 157 and 160, and D minor against the G major of 'Seabirds', the only piece in a major key and also the opener. Pablo Arnaiz places it second in the running order, an early brake that signals the aquatic concept is more than decoration: down here, breathing happens at a different pace.
The other exception is 'Whales', the cut that names the set. Its 118 BPM in E minor and 7:18 runtime sit halfway between the record's two speeds, and its position — fifth of six — repeats the 'Deep in the Ocean' move in the home stretch: just as the fast block risks becoming routine, Arnaiz sinks the tempo again. That the two depth-named pieces are also the two slowest says plenty about how literal this record's map is.
The close belongs to 'Coral', the third cut worth a magnifying glass: 8:32, by far the longest, at 160 BPM in B minor, the same key as 'Waves'. It is the piece that takes the most room to unfold, and the one that confirms the tracklist's mirror logic: speed above, calm below, and an ending that stretches the energetic block until it runs dry.
Context helps explain the choice of home: Cold Tear Records is a Lithuanian label active since 2010, founded by Evaldas Azbukauskas — the producer behind Giriu Dvasios — and devoted to dub techno, deep techno and ambient; it claims to be its country's most active imprint. A record built on underwater imagery and tempo contrasts fits that line without strain. What remains at the end of the journey is a simple, well-executed idea: depth, here, is measured in BPM.
Sources: Cold Tear Records · Bandcamp