Band: We Are The Ocean
Release: Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow (Album)
Release Date: 17/09/12
When We Are The Ocean announced back in June that they were parting ways with second vocalist Dan Brown, you could almost hear the worry from the thousands of fans about what this meant for the future of the band. Whilst many artists would have pondered on this state for a while, We Are The Ocean took a different approach and tackled this all guns blazing!
Within days, a new track had been released in the way of ‘Bleed’, cementing the future of the band as a new foursome. To say that ‘Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow’ has been highly anticipated would be a gross understatement and, thankfully, the anticipation is justified.
‘Bleed’ – the first release from the album and the one most fans will no doubt be instantly skipping to – could essentially be described as the real beginning of the album. After the slow and haunting nature of album opener ‘Stanford Rivers’ (although once you have skipped to ‘Bleed’ do turn back and give this a proper listen as it really is eerily beautiful!) ‘Bleed’ really does hit you like an audible punch in the face! It is everything that we’ve come to expect from the London-based rockers – loud, catchy, aggressive – but turned up a few notches.
Each track is great in its own right, but as with 99% of releases there are always going to be the ones that stand up higher than the rest. Tracks such as ‘Pass Me By’ and ‘Story of a Modern Child’ are just some of the other tracks that can be guaranteed to still be swimming in your head long after you’ve stopped listening.
Album closer ‘Chin Up, Son’ is undoubtably one of those said tracks that is really going to stick with you (and not just because it’s the last one…), sounding like it could just as easily have been penned by the king of emotional songwriting himself Dallas Green. It is arguably one of the most heartfelt songs on the album. ‘Chin Up, Son’ has a unique quality in that once the last note has been played, you just want to re-hit play and listen to the whole thing all over again.
Whilst this is already looking like a real contender for the UK’s rock album of the year, there is also a valid point to be made in the fact that, having lost that initial element that has set them apart from others in the scene for so many years, We Are The Ocean are in the dangerous position of slipping into the background of an already overcrowded genre. But after one listen to ‘Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow’ all fears of this seem to disappear and you just know these guys are going to be just fine!
9/10
Reviewer: Amy Jones
