28.04.2021
“It’s just a rollercoaster of emotions”: Ocean Grove reflect on 2020 and the return of live music Photo by Sam Wong
WORDS BY AARON LEVEY
Following a year-long forced hiatus from performing, Melbourne’s metal/punk fusion outfit Ocean Grove have announced a national album tour.
Four years on from their groundbreaking debut,
The
Flip Phone Fantasy, and the boys couldn’t be happier.
‘It’s just a rollercoaster of emotions for me,’ says vocalist Dale Tanner.
The tour announcement followed an impressive triple j Like A Version cover of Sneaky Sound System’s ‘UFO.’ The band was accompanied by former member Matthew Victor Kopp, aka Running Touch, who provided a different level of instrumental texture to the rendition. The restyled cover was a stunning punk-rock arrangement, received as a breath of fresh air to many.
âTaxi,â where
Men In Black and beat the white-man-in-black at his own power game. While in full cyberpunk glam. Essentially, thatâs the same power move theyâre making in their music by dissecting
Fear Factory-esque mechanical groove and hooky riffs echoing early
Static-X. Pairing retro influences with empowering lyrics, passionate screams and bittersweet rapping, the duo expand the creative element of industrial-leaning nü metal and open a new dimension of representation and relatability in the heavy scene.Â
Tetrarch
Tetrarchâs powerful drumming, emotional screams,
Korn-echoing vocal hooks, arena-worthy choruses and excessive turntable scratching (and so much more) remind us of what makes nü metal so cool. Yes, nü metal mightâve never been seen as cool, but with Tetrarch in the picture, it is now. Because being a âFreakâ is cool. And being loud voices of the misunderstood, underrepresented and the unheard was, is, and alwa