Ziphiidae is the family of beaked whales. Comprising at least 22 species, this is the second-largest family of cetaceans besides the dolphins. We know almost nothing about them.

These creatures are the deepest divers among mammals, with the Cuvier’s species in particular reaching depths of nearly two miles. A beaked whale only needs a few minutes to surface before embarking on its next dive, which can last up to four hours. Sightings by humans are thus rare, and little is known about their life cycle, behavior, diet, reproductive habits, conservation status, and abundance. The beaked whale is a reminder that humans will never know everything there is to know about the rock we live on. Yet these whales are not immune to anthropogenic change, and beached specimens have been found with stomachs full of plastic.

LA-based musician Kabir Kumar was initially inspired by a haunting photo taken near Antarctica by Ted Cheeseman and shared on Twitter by musician Daniel Bromfield, showing an Arnoux’s beaked whale breaching in icy water. The unmistakable presence and gravity of its form, coupled with the striking darkness of its silhouette against the ice, stayed in the artist’s mind and led to the first installment of the Painting Whales series, released in April 2022. This second installment retains the original’s sense of awe and mystery while taking the Painting Whales concept to a more personal place.

For this installment, Kumar focuses less on our disconnection from these elusive creatures and more on what connects us to them—not simply our impact on their health and numbers, but our shared evolutionary history as mammals and the traits we share with them such as communal feasting, close-knit family communication, a sense of empathy towards our loved ones, and a sense of grief when those loved ones are lost.

Rather than focusing on oceanic drones and icy majesty, Painting Whales Pt. 2 has a more human touch, with the bass guitar acting as an approximation of these heavy beasts’ incredible buoyancy and agility in the water as translated through human tools. Field recordings from Kumar’s everyday life heighten the sense of intimacy, as do instrumental contributions from Miguel Gallego and Jamin Reyes on bass, Bromfield and Phil DiLeo on synth, and Mitch Rocket on saxophone and electric piano.

- Daniel Bromfield