Oceanless “Isolation”
Among all the new bands bursting into the music scene, Oceanless is one to pay some extra attention to. With a debut release of a gritty genre-bending masterpiece, the band proves to be different. “Isolation” throws you into a raging turmoil of sonics, fiercely challenging your preexisting expectation for rock and hip hop. Dabbed with grunge, introspection, experimentation and pulsating alternative sounds, “Isolation” is something new. And just with one song, Oceanless asserts themselves at a level where most could only dream of.
“Isolation” gives you something truly unique in the ever-evolving scene of rock. Their authenticity shines very brightly throughout the track, giving you an exhilarating, hard-hitting and thunderous experience. Retro and modernity join hand in the massive reconnection of hip hop and grunge. They think outside the box, and their music feels like no other.
Oceanless is easily one of most exciting new bands to watch in the scene. They are exactly what’s needed in rock and hip hop—pure talent wrapped in authentic melodic allure.
Oceanless is currently working on their full-length debut album, set to take listeners on a meaningful journey in uncharted sonic world.
The Idle Silence “Close”
“Close” immediately summons the commotion and chaos energy of punk. As if hailing from a different era, the raw, primal clashing of threats, sweats, and passion is very much alive in The Idle Silence’s latest single. But there’s also a kind of disruption that rips the song in two pieces while keeping going on. The jarring dissonance is hard to ignore. It’s done intentionally no doubt, through the bending of a note, stretching to test the extreme.
There are broken glasses in “Close,” edging out in all directions. It's shocking and bizarre, vibrating between semi-industrial and semi-noir, messed up in acid and 90s rock. It’s haunting to hear the vocals floating illusively somewhere separate, like the acid sun above and outside the rest of the song. That slight hint of bizarreness makes you question everything hanging above a noise drone.
“Close” sees The Idle Silence reunite with the old punk rock sound, but in fact, they are reinventing it into something completely different. They break the old sounds and repatch them, which makes things shift a little. And that intricate asymmetry is enough to separate them from all others.
If there’s a punk revival coming, The Idle Silence would be one you don’t want to miss.
Read our interview with the marvelous four-piece band from Somerset below!
Punk Head: I love how you mend nostalgia with modernity in "Close." Is the track inspired by a particular influence?
The Idle Silence: There's definitely an element of old punk in there. I was listening to a lot of Buzzcocks, Damned, Slits, Skids and all of that sort of stuff at the time when I wrote it. But also newer bands like Screaming Females & Speedy Ortiz, who I really love. They're always on my rotation. So I suppose that's why it sounds that way.
PH: Was there any challenge that you encountered while making the track?
The Idle Silence: The biggest challenge for me is always singing in front of other people. It's fine with the rest of the band, and luckily our producer was very easy to be comfortable around. Other than those hang ups, it's a pretty straightforward song. Sort of.
PH: What is your creative vision as a band?
The Idle Silence: That's a very deep question. I suppose we want to people to like our music without watering it down at all. As songwriters we have a pretty even split between being very personal and taking on the big subjects and as a band we are on the line of being quite accessable and catchy and horribly noisy.
PH: How is the music scene in Somerset?
The Idle Silence: It's a big county (for the UK) but quite sparse and pretty rural for the most part. There are healthy scenes in the bigger towns and some really nice venues. We've met and played with some great bands here and we love playing anywhere people want to see us, really.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
The Idle Silence: Thank you for listening to our music, all the streams and downloads mean a lot to us. And there's plenty more where that came from.
THORN “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)”
“We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)” sets in an uncanny portrait of extremes, dissociation and sensual experimentation. The track is a gateway into THORN’s unorthodox songwriting, sinking into the connotation of modern life. Fueled by unfiltered grits and dirt, driven by nerve-splintering noisescape, “We Are Happy” sees piercing percussions and eerie vocals bottle up with explosive illusive sonics. Like the mirror of the craze between drug-infused, sexually-driven encounters and a born-to-die mindset that gives up on the search for a deeper meaning, “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal),” in its raw, spicy confrontations, gives you something to think about.
THORN’s music is all written from the perspective of mental health awareness, exploring the relationship between mind and action. His songwriting, as reflective as it is transparent, always has a deeper poetic monologue that runs parallel to the music. The soundscapes thread out from there, delving even deeper into the mind, resulting in those unimaginably vivid sonics that tells a horrid and oftentimes, unbearable truth.
“We Are Happy,” but are we? “We Are Happy,” but where are we? You can’t help but think about these questions while listening to the track.
Read our interview with THORN, where we talk about his REAL music influences and the distance he’s gone to create “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal).”
Punk Head: I love your authenticity and aesthetic in "We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)." Can you tell us a little more about the track?
THORN: It took a lot out of me. The vocal take was done at about 4am in pitch black. I was just sitting there choking myself, drinking shots of whiskey and spitting.
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
THORN: The grit, the dirt, sounds mean. I like.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
THORN: The change & renewal of mainstream metal & rock. Unifying the alt under one banner.
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
THORN: If I'm honest, the people closest to me. Luca Centro has been the biggest musical influence in my life. I tend to answer Nosferatu or Jesus as a joke, but yeah, my friends are the real answer.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
THORN: You can be the change you want to happen. You are more than you think. You are worth everything this world has to offer. Be the spark, to light that flame. Big love x