herbal tea dives deep with dreamy new single “Submarine” ahead of debut album release

Bristol-based DIY artist herbal tea has today unveiled “Submarine”, the hazy, slow-burning second single from her long-awaited debut album Hear as the Mirror Echoes, out 29th August via Orindal Records (US) and Gold Day (UK).

Crafted with an underwater weight and emotional tenderness, Submarine draws inspiration from its title both sonically and lyrically—melding lo-fi textures, ambient washes and slowcore pulses into a track that feels like a secret whispered from the ocean floor.

“It touches on the feeling of wanting to disappear into a safe place, in the night, where you feel invisible,” says herbal tea, aka Helena Walker, of the track. Originally recorded as a dreamy bedroom demo, the track evolved into something more immersive and expansive—eventually becoming the only track on the album to feature studio-recorded drums.

The release is accompanied by a grainy, camcorder-shot video filmed around Nottingham and stitched together by Walker and longtime collaborator Henry C Sharpe (multi-instrumentalist and Gold Day Records founder).

Following early acclaim from Clash and Gold Flake Paint, herbal tea has quietly emerged as one of the UK’s most intriguing new voices—drawing comparisons to dream pop, astral folk and shoegaze, but ultimately creating a world all her own.

With admirers including Gia Margaret and Ex:Re, and a growing audience built not through hype but word-of-mouth reverence, Hear as the Mirror Echoes promises to be a record that arrives softly but stays with you.