Forever Five: Nic McKenzie (Deep Sea Arcade)

There’s a certain effortless cool that Nic McKenzie exudes—something that’s always been central to Deep Sea Arcade’s swirling psych-pop magic. But behind the velvet textures and echo-drenched grooves is a serious student of music history, culture, and feeling. Whether producing records, collecting vinyl, DJing, or conjuring his own kaleidoscopic creations, Nic curates like it's second nature.

His Forever Five reveals a deep reverence for pop in all its guises—from the jagged and rebellious to the sleek and sublime. These are records that challenged the rules, bent genres, and carved out whole new emotional frequencies—just like Nic tends to do.

LISTEN—FOREVER FIVE: NIC MCKENZIE OF DEEP SEA ARCADE

A trio of tracks from each of Nic's choices, plus an essential five tracks with his own voice.

PORTISHEAD - DUMMY (1994)

RIHANNA - ANTI (2016)

THE BEATLES - REVOLVER (1966)

THE CURE - SEVENTEEN SECONDS (1980)

THE STOOGES - THE STOOGES (1969)