Ocean Grove “Up In The Air Forever”
Ocean Grove are one of Australian music greatest enigmas as anyone who has seen the band live can attest too. Multiple line up changes – not just personal but positions in the band – as they take the next step is further restricted when dropping their excellent sophomore album Flip Phone Fantasy to have a ‘bio security event’ try and constraint them.
Now they are back with a settled line up, no government totalitarian laws and a third album of good vibes, unrestrained joy and tunes to play loud while driving in your car with the windows down.
The album opens with the extremely catchy and hook laden Flava. The chorus screams summer time parties with it mellow grooves and singable lyrics of ‘my girl is rockstar’.
The album is a sound of summer keg parties, days at the beach, driving with the windows down with your friends and it has a distinct 90’s vibe throughout. Sex, Dope, Gold and Cali Sun are full of upbeat teenage energy, with sing a long choruses and a constant beat of a simpler time in our lives.
Bustin and Silver Lining weave cool guitar melodies throughout as vocalist Dale Tanner channels his inner Liam Gallagher punk attitude with on point phrasing which becomes another layer to the tapestry of the bands music.
Noise is a blend of dynamics, harmonies and goddamn catchy lyrics of telling those that claim to know better, they actually don’t. Silence brings the rap vocals to the fore with a harmonious chorus, the irony not lost with the title as the band sing about the frustrations of the past two years.
No song gets to the 4 minute mark. It’s all ‘here for a good time not a long time’ feeling and the album delivers on that promise.
However after nine tracks of energetic and chaotic bliss, the album closes with the title track, a slower somber song with is a great warm down from the blur of previous exertions.
Ocean Grove have made it to album three in spite of everything in their way. The album matches their attitude to the world and reflects their entertaining live show. The album may be called Up In The Air Forever but when this drops, watch it explode.
Album Review By Iain McCallum
