Sunking originated as an experimental jazz venture launched by Seattle-based musicians Rob Granfelt and Antoine Martel, both also affiliated with the jazz collective High Pulp. The pair introduced the project through a self-titled debut album in 2019, blending hip-hop, avant-garde, and indie rock components into their layered jazz textures. Following a relocation to Los Angeles and a deal with the ANTI- imprint, they unveiled their second album, Smug, in November 2022.
Having known each other since high school, Granfelt on drums and Martel on keyboards channeled their shared affinity for progressive jazz, shoegaze, and electronic music into an adaptable stylistic fusion. Within the broader High Pulp collective they cultivated a Seattle following for their energetic and inventive instrumental approach. At the same time the duo initiated Sunking, centering early efforts on Granfelt’s spontaneous drum recordings that the pair developed into atmospheric and subtly funky pieces. The project’s inaugural album appeared via self-release in 2019, coinciding with High Pulp’s first outing. In subsequent years the musicians balanced both endeavors, delivering the 2021 Sunking EP Cook the Books alongside joint singles such as “Parcel” with Teleporter and “Wet Bills” with Aubrey Travez. Whereas High Pulp maintained a more intricate and meticulously composed sound, Sunking served as a looser, frequently lo-fi outlet through which the pair explored unconventional and arcane material. Ultimately they joined the ANTI- roster, as High Pulp had done, and issued Smug later that year.
