An ocean swim almost took Peter English’s life. It gave him this single instead.

Sometimes inspiration is just one life-threatening moment away. For Peter English, that moment was what began as a harmless trip to the Jersey Shore a few years ago. One dangerous attempt at reaching a sandbar later, English had the basis for his new concept single, “Like Remora,” two songs that tell a cohesive story of that swim in the sea.

The multi-instrumentalist, aided by Dr. Dog’s Eric Slick on the drums, begins by setting the scene on the single’s title track: he’s swimming 50 feet offshore when suddenly the seafloor disappears. His buddy has already reached the bar and looked away. It’s just English and the ocean at this point. “There’s a dark hood riding the current/ it’s pulling me in/ Until we cling like remora/ dependent on our host to live,” he sings in the chorus. The thought of this being the end crosses his mind. The waves are rough, and eventually English decides to set his sights on the horizon and swim. It’s his only choice besides submitting to the current.

English obviously survives the situation, and its result is worth the struggle. Slick’s, well, slick drumming pairs well with English’s soothing vocals. The experience is followed up by the B side of the single, instrumental track “The Overseas Highway.” It offers the slow-motion feeling of a life-or-death event. Dive into both tunes below.