Oceanwires new album, There Never Was a Was, wasn't produced like the majority of rock albums. The band entered the recording studio with only rough silhouettes of songs; writing as the tape rolled. This could have been a costly exercise as studio time isn't cheap. There was no past version of the song to reference or inform the process. Sonically inspired by the angular guitar works of Television and Savages, Dave Einmo (Head Like a Kite) and Aaron Starkey (Gibraltar) initially set out together to find the space between their own waves three years ago as they started writing ideas...

There Never Was a Was is an intriguing rock album with plenty of heart and a lot of diversity from track to track. On a couple of songs (most notably 'Fall into the Boat') I was briefly reminded of The Pixies, while 'Winter Song' brought flashes of Scorpions's 'Wind of Change'.

From song to song the band shifts and changes their sound and identity. This works pretty well to ensure that on repeat listens there's something else to enjoy that you overlooked on previous play throughs.

The sound is timeless. This could have been recorded in the '70s, '80s, last week or a decade from now... and it's this ability to get under your skin that will ensure that it gets a wide rock following.

8

Nick Smithson