Ocean Alley are going from strength to strength after the release of their new single Muddy Waters. Now they’re set to make a splash with the release of their brand new EP In Purple. Hailing from the Northern Beaches of Sydney and taking influence from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley, Ocean Alley uniquely deliver psychedelic fuzz worthy of the 60’s that is nicely wrapped up in a blanket of funked out reggae.
The delectable sounds of Ocean Alley are back to warm you up this Spring with In Purple. Blending psych and reggae like champs, it’s a dynamite EP.
The six track offering was produced and recorded in Sydney’s Studios 301 with Callum Howell, and oozes a lo-fi surf rock twang. And with track titles like Space Goat, Those Daze and Daydreaming, you know it ain’t going to be no half assed psych album. After the recent release and high praise of the EP’s first single Muddy Waters, which is a soulful and infectious tune, In Purple had some pretty high expectations to live up to.
Straight off the bat, the EP’s first track Space Goat introduces listeners to their distinct sound and inventive genre. The track kicks off sounding like it’s going to be a fully fledged psych jam, but after only 16 seconds, it does a 180 and turns complete reggae, and continues to jump between the two for the entirety of the track. It’s a pretty cool way to start off an album. Anyone who’s not familiar with Ocean Alley’s music will have no fucking clue what’s going on, but I can guarantee that after listening for 30 seconds, or when the head spinning and psych trance has stopped, they’ll be hooked.
One problem that seems to be pretty common with psych music, (don’t get me wrong, I love the genre) is that a lot of it can sound fairly similar, and tracks can pretty easily just sort of blend together. But proving what a shit load of talent these young guys have, there is not one part of the EP that is in danger of taking that path. Although all six tracks house psych and reggae elements, the Ocean Alley boys have managed to create so many different sounds and textures, with not one track sounding the same.
While Those Daze and Daydreaming both intertwine and blend these two elements perfectly, they both take completely different directions. Those Daze is an upbeat, garage influenced sounding tune that is not particularly easy to sit still through. While six minutes long, Daydreaming is so far past the point of being chilled out you’ll start to see swirling colours and purple, fluorescent lights. And did I mention just how god damn mesmerising Baden Donegal’s vocals are?
In Purple is definitely one of the coolest, most diverse and funky EP’s doing the rounds at the moment. Through the combination of psych and reggae influences, plus whatever the fuck else has been thrown in the mix, this EP produces the goods that make it seem like seasoned professionals have been at work for years. It is far more than what you would expect from a band on their second EP.
