We get to know Oceans, a fresh act out of Melbourne who recently dropped his debut solo single ‘Come So Far’.
It seems, however, that this is just the beginning for the up and coming artist, with the promise of a scintillating debut EP to follow.
But before all that happens, it’s the perfect time to dig a little deeper and find out a little more about Oceans’ story.
So join us as we get to know him in our latest feature.
01. Name : Thomas Lee.
02. Where are you based? Footscray, Melbourne.
03. How did you get your start in music? Recording sadboi pop into my laptop late at night :_)
04. Give us five words to best describe you as an artist. Hopelessly lost in nostalgia, synths.
05. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. I used to love sampling and making beats on my laptop, making it super trippy and sending my head in all different directions.
My sound developed into Oceans when I became more focused with my songwriting and using samples along with traditional songwriting methods to help express my thoughts and feelings.
06. What’s your earliest musical memory? Primary school (at eight years old??) learning three blind mice on this old school piano in the portable music classroom (nostalgia overload)!!
07. Who have been your musical influences? John Frusciante, Dominic Byrne, Tycho, Beach House, Jinsang, M83, Life On Venus, MBV, Slowdive, Boy Harsher, Youth Lagoon, Nothing, The Cure, Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada and plenty more!!
08. What are your favourite songs of all time? Top 3 : ‘June In Reverse’ – Peach Gardens, ‘Roygbiv’ – Boards Of Canada, ‘Estrus’ – John Frusciante.
09. Where’s your favourite place to listen to music? On a long bus ride, travelling to some unknown destination.
10. Who are your go-to artists when you’re feeling : Happy?
Sad? Life On Venus, Slowdive, Beach House, Ruby Haunt, Future Islands.
Introspective? Aphex Twin, Tycho, Quantic, M83.
Exhausted? Washed Out, Real Estate, Ducktails, Homeshake.
I’ll have to get back to you on the happy part…
11. What was the first album you ever bought? Either ‘Demon Days’ by Gorillaz or ‘Beams’ by The Presets. Two albums featuring very strong use of synthesisers!
12. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. I’m a diehard AFL fan and have drawn favourable comparisons to Marcus Bontempelli, which is always appreciated!
13. What would your chosen career be if music wasn’t an option? I’m very technically minded and am currently working full time as an acoustic engineer. I really enjoy going deep into the inner workings of sound, so probably that or a keyboard/synthesiser repair person.
14. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? Over my musical journey I’ve been very fortunate to work with some very inspiring people. The engineer on my EP, Aden, instilled in me a sense of dedication and servitude towards music. If you give your creative passions time and love it will infinitely reward you on an intrinsic level.
15. What’s been the highlight of your musical journey so far? The social element has been fantastic for me. As well as being a part of the lovely and supportive Melbourne community. Forming a band recently has been fantastic as I’ve been able to get to know some inspiring musicians and made close friendships. The same applies to the other band I play in, Grazer.
16. What’s been the strangest experience you’ve had in the business? I often struggle as an introvert to present and tell the world who I am as an artist. It’s been a challenge I’ve loved and has made me understand myself a bit better, but definitely strange for me to talk about myself with others!
17. If you could trade places with any artist in the world right now, who would it be? Kevin Parker would be an interesting one. I feel with his catalogue of works he’s so free to take his creative direction anywhere for a new album. It’s hard to pick a non-Australian artist when considering all the difficulties artists are facing overseas in its current state.
18. Tell us about your debut release. This will be my solo debut EP, culminating in many years of experimental music creation. This is an expression of who I am as an artist and the direction I want to take Oceans.
It will explore the use of electronic textures within a shoegaze/dream pop context, which is shown in my first single called ‘Come So Far’. Expect to hear layers of vintage analogue synths, drum machines and fuzzy reverbed out guitars!
19. What do your future plans involve? We’re looking forward to doing some live shows now that we’re out of lockdown! We’ve been in the studio recording songs for an upcoming album and loving what we’re hearing.
I’m also excited to put out some new music from a side project I started in the winter of 2020 with some fellow shoegaze lovers from the UK.
20. Where can our audience catch you live? Our first live show at Bar Open got postponed until April 3rd due to the most recent Covid lockdown. But we’re also planning a show later in March, keep your eye out for future announcements on our social media pages!
FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/oceansmusic.aus
INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/oceansmusic.aus
SOUNDCLOUD : https://soundcloud.com/oceans_au
YOUTUBE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO5DP7hTvTk
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