Behind The Artworks: CAR UNDERWATER - Dagger Breaks Window (2026)

Everything we do in Car Underwater is deeply inspired by film. While writing Dagger Breaks Window, I kept a list of movies that felt spiritually connected to the EP's sound, and I found myself returning to films from the late '90s and 2000s like Paranoid Park, Magnolia, and Brick. It was important that the cover reflected that same atmosphere, with the glossy, blue-tinted look that many of these films share. I imagined someone staring into a mirror, trying to make sense of their own reflection. I wanted to replicate that feeling where, if you look at yourself for too long, you almost stop recognizing the person looking back at you. That idea of losing your sense of self felt closely tied to many of the themes we were exploring on the record.

 

We shared the idea with our friend and photographer Elsa Gottvall, who took the photo on the cover, elevating it far beyond what we had imagined. The person on the cover is our friend Julez, photographed in our friend Kelen's bathroom, and having all our friends on the shoot gave the image a level of intimacy and authenticity that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Brodie Kaman handled the final art direction and typography, bringing everything together into the finished cover. It was the collaborative spirit of everyone involved, each person interpreting the same idea differently, that made the artwork feel like a true extension of the music.

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