The High Water Marks

The High Water Marks is a transatlantic indie rock project founded in 2003 by Hilarie Sidney and Per Ole Bratset. Their collaboration began through an exchange of musical ideas via international mail, leading to their 2004 debut LP, Songs About the Ocean, a vibrant fuzz-pop release on Eenie Meenie Records.

Sidney, co-founder of Elephant 6 and longtime Apples in Stereo drummer, met Bratset at an Oslo concert. Drawn to his melodies and dynamic guitar work in Palermo, she recognized a kindred spirit. Distance didn’t deter them, and Bratset eventually relocated to the U.S.

Following Songs About the Ocean, they released Polar (2007) on HHBTM Records before pausing to focus on family and academic pursuits. Their passion for music reignited in 2019, spurred by friend Logan Miller. Returning to the U.S., they recorded new songs, later enriched by Trondheim musician Øystein Megård. Logan and Øystein became permanent band members, adding a new and exciting dimension to their sound.

Despite the global pandemic, The High Water Marks thrived, releasing Ecstasy Rhymes (2020), Proclaimer of Things (2022), and Your Next Wolf (2023), marking a prolific new era. They also launched 6612 Tapes, a boutique cassette label embracing 1990s DIY aesthetics.

The band returns this spring with Consult the Oracle, out May 16, 2025, on Meritorio Records—showing no signs of slowing down.