Comprising Cistone, guitar player Matt McKenzie, vocalist and keyboard player Ben Bertsch and twins Andrew and Dave O Donnell on guitar and drums, Ploom prides itself on its commitment to a DIY ethos and the way it handles all production in-house before sending out its product for mastering. Ocean, the latest result of that process, pulls from a number of inspirations, from population overcrowding to climate change to COVID s effects on society. After the pandemic hit, Bertsch says, he found himself spending a lot of time driving on highways that were a little post-apocalyptic the roads were empty because of COVID, and ash filled the air because of the ongoing wildfires. The song recaptures the feeling of being in that environment.