worms in dirt
Photo by Alejandro Torres
Worms in Dirt is a Seattle-based trio known for their energetic bursts of lyrically dense indie folk/punk. On their upcoming record, I Almost Touched a Fish, they expand their arrangements, write with more honesty, and play with more intention than ever before.
The project originated in 2018 on the California central coast as Sam Hendricks’s songwriting outlet, inspired by self-recorded DIY heroes like Phil Elverum and Jeff Rosenstock. She recorded a 3-song EP with a Rockband (the video game) microphone and formed a band with hometown friends Dylan Lyman and Skyler Garcia. They toured the west coast and recorded two more EPs over a year and change, with Sam’s late 2019 move to Seattle ending the project’s first chapter.
Worms in Dirt reactivated in 2022 and has since settled into its current lineup of Hunter Grier on drums and Declan Hoban on bass. The trio spent the past few years playing around the west coast and PNW, inspiring audiences with ramshackle performances, catchy melodies, and poignant lyricism. Sam’s songwriting skills sharpened through this period of growth and exploration, culminating in the creation of I Almost Touched a Fish.
The album is spiritually fed by Olympic Peninsula camping trips, DIY touring, a small-town Californian childhood, the Seattle music scene, and trying to survive being trans in 2025. Over 24 minutes, the album explores themes and thoughts shaped by these experiences through a surreal, yet sharp lens.
I Almost Touched a Fish was self-recorded by the band at Whalehouse Studio Co-Op, mixed by Sam at her home studio, and mastered by Dylan Wall at 7 Hills Studio.