One of Australia’s most celebrated new acts, Ocean Alley, released the sun-bleached new single and video “Stained Glass” today. Premiered by Triple J Drive, “Stained Glass” is the first taste of new music since the band dropped their momentous second album Chiaroscuro last March. Moody and expansive in sound, “Stained Glass” creeps up on the listener; fusing elements of blues and surf-rock with Baden Donegal’s soulful voice, lingering heavily over dreamy tones and swirling organs. As the harmonies and dense reverb simmer, the track launches into its grand zenith, a multi-layered tapestry of emphatic, driving guitars paired with big crash cymbals and a hypnotic melody line.
Watch the video for “Stained Glass” below and stream the track here.
Detailing the song’s creation, Ocean Alley stated:
“Stained Glass is the first song we have written since the release of Chiaroscuro and began, as most of our songs do, with a chord and vocal idea for a verse that Baden envisioned. We recorded and mixed the track with our producer Callum Howell at The Grove Studios over two sessions with a focus on guitar tone and interwoven guitar parts – as has always been a staple in our production. In the early writing stages we realised it was a great platform to explore guitar production in its entirety and with the help of newly acquired equipment and instruments we were able to create a spacious arrangement using interjecting guitar parts and organ sounds to embellish the rhythmic guitar strumming.”
Hot off the heels of their recent stint supporting rising star, Tash Sultana, this past fall in North America, Ocean Alley are coming back to captivate even more audiences with their soulful melodies and infectious blend of psychedelic-surf-rock. The band will mark their return in early Summer with an extensive headline tour throughout the United States and Canada, including stops at BottleRock and California Roots Festival. Tomorrow, Ocean Alley kicks off an 11-date Australian tour where they’ll reunite with Tash Sultana, before crossing the ditch for six shows in New Zealand through April and then returning home to play at Byron Bay Bluesfest.
Hailing from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, six-piece Ocean Alley – Baden Donegal (vocals), Angus Goodwin (guitar), Nic Blom (bass), Lach Galbraith (keys/vocals), Mitch Galbraith (guitar) and Tom O’Brien (drums) – solidified their position as one of Australia’s most exciting bands in 2018, having surpassed 60 million catalogue streams and achieving the impressive feat of attaining more than 1.4 million monthly Spotify listeners. With two albums under their belt, Lost Tropics (2016) and the critically acclaimed Chiaroscuro (2018) which peaked at #11 on the ARIA Chart and spawned the triple j Hottest 100 #1 and ARIA Top 10 Platinum-certified single “Confidence”, the band have captivated audiences worldwide with their infectious blend of psychedelic surf-rock, selling out a slew of shows at home and abroad, plus performing festivals including Splendour In The Grass (AU), California Roots (USA) and Rhythm and Vines (NZ). Their acclaimed second album Chiaroscuro debuted at #15 on the ARIA Chart, and was awarded the coveted triple j Feature Album, with the station proclaiming “Ocean Alley have surfed their way to ‘Next Big Thing’ status.” The record is available now on Spotify and Apple and you can purchase the album on vinyl here.
North American Tour Dates:
Wed May 22 – The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
Thu May 23 – Casbah, San Diego, CA
Sat May 25 – California Roots Festival, Monterey, CA
Sun May 26 – BottleRock, Napa Valley, CA
Tue May 28 – Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA
Thu May 30 – Imperial, Vancouver, BC
Fri May 31 – Capital Ballroom, Victoria, BC
Sat Jun 1 – Garibaldi Lift Co. Whistler, BC
Sun June 2 – Garibaldi Lift Co. Whistler, BC
Tue Jun 4 – Spirit Bar, Nelson, BC
Wed Jun 5 – The Gateway, Calgary, AB
Thu Jun 6 – Station on Jasper, Edmonton, AB
Sat Jun 8 – The Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB
Sun Jun 9 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Mon Jun 10 – Schubas Tavern, Chicago, IL
Thu Jun 13 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON
Fri Jun 14 – Corona Theatre, Montreal, QC
Sat Jun 15 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
Tue Jun 18 – Spirit Lodge, Pittsburgh, PA
Thu Jun 20 – Rough Trade, Brooklyn, NY
Fri Jun 21 – The Foundry @ The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
Sat Jun 22 – Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
Mon Jun 24 – The Windjammer, Isle of Palms, SC
Tue Jun 25 – Aisle 5, Atlanta, GA
Wed Jun 26 – The Parish, New Orleans, LA
Fri June 28 – House Of Blues (Bronze Peacock), Houston, TX
Sat June 29 – Stubb’s Jr, Austin, TX
Sun June 30 – House Of Blues (Cambridge), Dallas, TX
Tue Jul 2 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
Fri Jul 5 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
Sat Jul 6 – Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
Sun Jul 7 – House Of Blues (The Parish), Orange County, CA