Dirty Heads Have Bravely Weathered the Storm with Their New Album 7 Seas

Southern California reggae-rock band Dirty Heads navigates life's turbulent seas with their personal and powerful new album, 7 Seas.

Riding the Waves of Life and Music

If you’ve caught Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey soaring at the box office lately, you know the story of a long, grueling journey through stormy seas and relentless challenges. Watching Matt Damon as Odysseus battling Poseidon's wrath, I couldn’t help but think of a modern-day musical odyssey—the latest album by Dirty Heads.

This Southern California reggae-rock band’s sixth studio album, 7 Seas, dives deep into themes of struggle and survival, much like the fabled journey of Odysseus. But instead of mythic gods and monsters, these storms are personal battles, real-life hardships, and emotional tempests the band has sailed through in recent years.

Dirty Heads on tour. (Credit: Travis Shinn)

A New Chapter: From Escapism to Endurance

Jared “J Dirty” Watson, co-frontman of Dirty Heads, shared some insights during their first summer tour stop in Minneapolis. Clad in a black ballcap stitched with “Dirty” and sporting his signature long, graying curls, Jared explained how 7 Seas flips the band’s usual oceanic theme.

“We’ve always had an ocean theme throughout all our albums, and most of the time it’s about escapism,” Jared said. But 7 Seas is different. “You’re going from one sea to the other sea, and each one has its own challenges. This time, you have to go through all of them, facing things you never thought you would.” That’s a journey anyone can relate to—waves of personal struggle crashing in unexpected ways.

It’s a theme that resonates deeply if you know the story behind the album. Jared and the band have grappled with heavy curveballs over recent years—hardships so raw and personal they’re almost too tough to put into words.

Battling Inner Demons and Finding Strength

Jared’s path hasn’t been easy. Back in the mid-2010s, he hit a dark low, being hospitalized mid-tour, completely debilitated by alcohol dependency. The road to recovery was paved with rehab visits, crushing depression, anxiety attacks, and painful withdrawal symptoms.

Music became Jared’s lifeboat. Songs like “Under the Water” from their 2016 self-titled album were born from this emotional turmoil. But even during the making of 7 Seas, Jared faced intense challenges. “I went to rehab three times in one year over the course of this album,” he admitted.

He credits his prior work on internal trauma with psychedelics for helping him survive external storms. “Life was saying, ‘I’m glad you fixed your internal stuff, because now there’s a ton of external stuff you’ll have to deal with.’”

Thankfully, Jared wasn’t alone. His family, friends, bandmates, and longtime manager Mike “Cheez” Brown helped him weather the storm. Mike’s dark humor offered some relief: “This might suck, and you’re suffering now, but you’ll probably get some good material from it.” And he was right—the album’s raw honesty is a testament to that hard-won wisdom.

From High School Dreamers to Genre-Bending Trailblazers

Dirty Heads’ story began in 2000 in Southern California when Jared and childhood friend Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell teamed up for a high school music project. What started as fun quickly turned serious. Jared recalls the gut feeling that this was meant to be, despite all the second-guessing.

They rounded out their lineup with percussionist Jon Olazabal, drummer Matt Ochoa, and bassist Dave Foral, crafting a distinctive sound that’s reggae, rock, and hip-hop all rolled into one. Fueled by relentless touring, their energetic live shows gradually built a dedicated fanbase along the West Coast.

Dirty Heads live performance. (Credit: Chance Rajkowski)

Their 2008 debut album, Any Port in a Storm, earned national attention. The deluxe 2010 version featured “Lay Me Down,” a collaboration with Rome Ramirez of Sublime, which dominated the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for 11 weeks straight. Suddenly, they were no longer just openers—they were headliners at major venues.

Riding Waves of Success Over the Years

In the decade since, Dirty Heads never slowed down. They've released six more albums, each expanding their reach. Their 2017 hit “Vacation” exploded online, garnering over six billion streams and views—a staggering figure for any band.

Their 2022 album Midnight Control featured a cover of Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good” that climbed to the Top 5 on Mediabase’s Alternative chart, amassing over 17 million streams.

Today, Dirty Heads boasts over 1.3 million digital track sales and 2.6 billion on-demand streams since 2018 alone. Their blend of reggae rhythms, hip-hop flow, and rock energy has clearly struck a chord with listeners worldwide.

7 Seas: Making Waves with Purpose

With 7 Seas, Dirty Heads took their passion a step further by teaming up with 4ocean, an environmental organization dedicated to cleaning the world’s oceans. The album’s special-edition vinyl includes a bracelet made from recycled ocean plastic, and each purchase helps remove one pound of trash from waterways. It’s music with a mission, honoring the band’s long-standing ocean theme in a very real way.

Jared's personal favorite track is “Future Self,” a therapeutic song inspired by the idea of writing a letter to one’s future self—a concept brought to him by a close friend. It’s heartfelt and introspective, capturing the album’s core themes of growth and resilience.

Dirty Heads embracing their journey. (Credit: Travis Shinn)

On the flip side, Jared’s overall favorite is the high-energy “Sound Boy Killa.” Drawing from UK garage beats, heavy bass, reggae, and their signature hip-hop flair, the track represents a fresh evolution in their sound. “It was my baby,” Jared says proudly. “I just felt like I hadn’t heard anything like that before.”

Shared Struggles and Hope for the Future

Toward the end of our chat, Jared reflected on how many friends and fans he’s spoken to over the last few years—all admitting to struggling. “It seemed like the last two or three years really drug everybody’s dick through the dirt,” he said bluntly. “Nobody was safe.”

He wonders if it’s a product of aging, the lingering shadow of the pandemic, or simply the chaotic state of the world. Perhaps, like Odysseus, society has unleashed its own Trojan Horse—losing empathy and kindness in favor of chaos.

“I don’t know what it is,” Jared mused. “Maybe it’s some parallel universe or just wildness after COVID. But everything’s cool now that we’re through it. It was scary. It was hard. You go through everything life throws at you, knowing you’ll be okay on the other side… but it’s tough when you’re in the middle of it. This album is the result of that.”

FAQ

• How does the album 7 Seas differ from Dirty Heads' previous albums?
  7 Seas explores themes of endurance and facing multiple personal challenges, whereas their earlier albums often focused on escapism and laid-back ocean vibes.
• What personal struggles influenced Jared Watson during the making of 7 Seas?
  Jared faced severe alcohol dependency, multiple rehab stints, anxiety, and a nervous breakdown, all of which shaped the album’s emotional depth.
• What inspired the song “Future Self” on the album?
  The song was inspired by a friend’s idea to write a letter to one’s future self, serving as a therapeutic reflection on growth.
• Which track showcases Dirty Heads’ evolution in sound on 7 Seas?
  “Sound Boy Killa” blends UK garage, bass-heavy music, reggae, and hip-hop, representing a new dimension in the band’s style.
• What is the significance of the band’s collaboration with 4ocean?
  The partnership links the band’s ocean theme with environmental activism, with proceeds helping to clean ocean plastic from waterways.

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