When Port O’Brien get nautical — boats, ports, fishermen’s sons — they speak from experience. Or at least lead Porter Van Pierszalowski and bandmate Cambria Goodwin do. During a recent QYDJ they shared what it was like to work in a small Alaskan fishing town, on a boat and in a cannery respectively. Mix in that geographic isolation and disparate day jobs with the pair’s romantic relationship, and you’ve got a fertile space for songwriting. The band name tells you just how heavily the seafaring life weighs on the band’s work, but maybe nowhere more evidently and autobiographically as in “Stuck On A Boat.” In this video the band put together for us, Van speaks to the intersecting themes that spark the simple All We Could Do Was Sing standout, and the band follows the intro with a La Blog-styled live performance in the lobby of Port O’Brien’s Oakland, CA rehearsal space.

Less pots and pans than the last time we saw ‘em, but also less insanely annoying photographer dudes, so it’s a fair trade. If you hadn’t grabbed the studio version before, change that now:

• Port O’Brien – “Stuck On A Boat”Download

All We Could Do Was Sing is self-released and out today (5/13), available via them. More good free MP3s here.