Now Hear This…Hey Ocean!

It’s been a few dance-less years but Hey Ocean! are back ya’ll. While most of the time since the release of 2008′s ‘It’s Easier To Be Somebody Else’ has been taken up by tours around North America, Ashleigh Ball, David Vertesi and Dave Beckingham found some time to finish up their third album to be released hopefully by the fall. The band came out to play Toronto and a select few other shows and festivals to showcase their new line-up and give us a sneak-peak of some new songs. Before catching their awesome show at The Horseshoe last Saturday, (which including a crowd surfing stuffed shark that I totally want) I spoke with the band at Gibson about expanding their touring band, their number one fan and the hotly anticipated new album.

Focusing on maturing their sound and honing in on instrumentation, the band have added a few new touring members to lend some additional hands and help in recreating what they’ve developed on this forthcoming album. David explains the decision was “partly just not wanting to hold back from anything, from anything in the studio that is. Our last record we made sort of live off the floor; drums, bass and guitar in the same room, mic together and then just sort of took the best takes and added some over dubs after.” Dave adds, “So it came across as sort of this live feel and this time we wanted to be recording artists and go in and not hold back from layering things together and making a sonically really impressive album.”

A former “best kept secret” of Vancouver, the band has built a devoted fan base from coast to coast and beyond, picking up a very special fan along the way. The “Captain” of the I Love Hey Ocean! fansite, the self-proclaimed fansite has become someone the band mutually admires themselves. David explains “the guy who made it lives in Lethbridge, AB and he and his girlfriend are super big champions of the band out there and that’s what he does for a living, he makes websites for companies so for him it was no big deal. He keeps it up and it’s such a lovely thing.”

The new and excitingly mysterious album will be released…soonish says David: “let’s just say It’s recorded, mixed and mastered. We probably won’t be releasing it until the fall. No such name to be released yet.” The essence of Hey Ocean! remains intact but their sounds has evolved to what they refer to as “classic pop.” Ashleigh elaborates, “It’s kind of what we’re trying to do on this next album, kind of just go for it. We had a lot of artists that we were pulling in and taking from: Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson. We want to write really awesome pop songs and not be afraid of that.”

Check out the hallway session of the new single “Build An Island” and tell us what you think!

Words by Kate Masewich