We are the Ocean

Genre (according to Wikipedia): Post-hardcore, alternative rock

Screamo bands. They are the marmite of music. Approximately 7 out of every 10 people who are asked for their opinions of hardcore bands will immediately go off on rants, using the words ‘not music, just noise’, ‘horrible’, and asking ‘how do you listen to that?’ They may even be so kind as to do an impression of what it sounds like to them, in the hopes that you will immediately be persuaded to their point of view. Yes, it would appear that screamo is a truly acquired taste.

Enter We Are The Ocean,  a band from London and Essex, who have succeeded in one of the most difficult of tasks-taking this controversial genre of music and dressing it up as something with more universal appeal and musical complexity, without losing ANY of the power and emotion that gets screamo its fanbase. Formed of Dan Brown on screaming vocals, Liam Cromby on rhythm guitar and melodic vocals, Jack Spence on bass, Alfie Scully on lead guitar, and Tom Whittaker on drums, this, in my humble opinion, is the band that is the future of hardcore music.

Like My Passion in my previous article, We Are The Ocean has enjoyed some success already, doing hundreds of shows in only three years, and supporting big names like Lostprophets, You Me At Six, The Used, The Blackout, and Underoath. They have released two EPs and in 2010 released their debut album Cutting Our Teeth, which, despite receiving very positive reviews (9 out of 10 stars from Rock Sound), only got to #143 in the UK album charts. So this is another band that despite their huge potential and innovation, seems to be going unnoticed by members of the public (despite my best efforts, I have not yet met anyone else who has heard of them). A shame, since these guys really do have what it takes to be unbelievably big.

Firstly, I will admit that as screamo bands go, this is fairly light. No pig squeals or death growls here. And while this may cause the die hard Goths and metalheads amongst you to immediately lose interest, it is this fact that gives We Are The Ocean their appeal, certainly to me. Most hardcore bands are content with slashing furiously at their guitars, playing one note in time to the drums, while headbanging with their legs an impossible width apart (cough Attack Attack cough).  However, to distract you from how unbelievably basic the music is, the singer will be shrieking his head off, totally unintelligibly, making himself sound as little like a human as possible. And good for them. We Are The Ocean, however, changes the formula, and rather than mounting an aggressive attack on your hears, uses complex lead guitar parts and some truly fantastic drumming, to give the song the musical power it needs to ensure you won’t cover your ears when the screaming starts. Though you shouldn’t because Dan Brown’s vocal style breathes new life into the genre. He delivers his vocals with tremendous power and feeling, to the extent that rather than ruin the song, you start to find yourself thinking that the songs could actually not do without it. He even manages, on the album, to do something different from traditional vocalists. Now, I don’t know whether it is simply because he lost his voice, but on the album he abandons traditional screams and adopts a more ‘gruff football chant’ style, which looks crap on paper, but actually works brilliantly. It also gives each of their songs a sense of variety and individuality-dedicated screamo fans will love the brutal yells of ‘Save Me! Said The Saviour’, whereas people with more delicate ears will enjoy the emotional power of ‘Don’t Take Chances’.

However, I really cannot stress enough the importance of their melodic vocalist Liam Cromby. The oldest member of the band, his melodic parts on the songs like their debut single ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’, and ‘I Used To Be So Much More’ are truly what sets this band apart. No auto tune here-this man has one of the finest and most soulful voices I have yet heard. Also, rather than use their clean vocalist as a stand-in, just to add an iota of variety while the screamer’s throat takes a couple of seconds to heal, Cromby’s vocals are delivered with just as much passion and flair as Brown’s. Many of their songs take the form of Cromby singing the verses and chorus, with Brown simply providing an aggressive spice on top. This produces a powerful harmony and slaps you in the face so you’ll realise that this is definitely a band to watch in future.

by Marcus Jones

‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’ video:

‘These Days, I Have Nothing’ video:

Listen if you like: You Me At Six, Asking Alexandria, Lostprophets, Enter Shikari, Bullet For My Valentine, Escape The Fate