We Are The Ocean outside Ramones Museum. Image by Olga Baczynska.
Back in August I interviewed british rock band We Are The Ocean at the Ramones Museum were they played an acoustic show. We Are The Ocean initially started out as a post-hardcore band before delving into the alternative rock area. Their second vocalist and shouter had just left the band and they recorded their third album Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow as a four-piece. I had the chance to talk to Alfie (guitar, backing vocals) and Jack (bass) about the departure of Dan, their new album and the changes and progress the band has made.
You just played Highfield. Was it your first time there and what was it like?
Jack: It was our first time and it was fantastic. We were overwhelmed by the reception we got there. It was our second german festival, we played Area 4 on friday.
Alfie: We’ve been to Germany a number of times and it’s always great to come here and play shows.
I’ve seen you open for a bunch of other bands such as The Blackout, Silverstein and Mayday Parade. This fall you will be headlining in Europe for the first time and go back to the small clubs. How do you feel about that?
Alfie: It feels like a while that we’ve done something like this. We have just toured the USA foor Warped Tour so coming here to do something that we haven’t in a number of years is really exciting to see how the band has progressed and how many people have decided to stay with us and see us through everything
Jack: Everytime we come here more people come. It’s our first headline tour outside the UK which involves a lot of pressure. This time the tickets are on us because we’re not just supporting someone. It’s time to see if we’ve made it and I’m looking forward to it.
Is the German audience any different to the british audience?
Alfie: I suppose in Germany people pay lots of compliments, they would tell you everything that was good and not so much that wasn’t. They also don’t have to be familiar with your band to say that they liked it.
Jack: I think people here are quite open to new bands more so than in the UK. Everytime we’ve come here on a support tour people would come up to us and tell us that they’d liked it.
Your musical style has undergone some changes since your first album. You initially started out as a post-hardcore band while your current sound is rather alternative rock. How did this change come about?
Alfie: I don’t think it was intentional. When we started the band we were really young and I think our goals then were slightly different. When you play with the same people for a number of years you pick up on their strong points and you wanna make that flourish.
Jack: The first album really was a learning curve for the band. I guess we were unsure exactly how we wanted to sound but as time goes on we’ve become more of a unit and I think with the third album we’ve hit the nail on the head as to how we wanna sound.
How would you describe your new album ‘Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow’?
Alfie: It’s a very melodic album and it’s still rocking. We see ourselves as a rock band and you will be able to hear the best of each of us on it. The vocals are different in each song, it’s not just one pattern that is repeated over and over. It’s a journey of different sounds.
Jack: It’s a journey – I love that.
Speaking of vocals your second vocalist Dan Brown has recently left the band and songs like The Waiting Room rely heavily on dual vocals and lots of shouting as far as the first album is concerned. How are you going to play these songs live from now on?
Alfie: I guess that’s something everyone wants to know and everyone is concerned about because we have done that for such a long time. But there’s a number of people in the band who can sing.
