OCEAN ALLEY BEND SURFY PSYCHEDELIA TOWARDS A FRESH SONIC COASTLINE WITH NEW ALBUM ‘LOVE BALLOON’
ALBUM REVIEW | OCEAN ALLEY – LOVE BALLOON by Michaela Roper
A ten-track run of emotionally resonant odes to new romance is what’s on the cards for Ocean Alley’s as they adopt a fresh take on sunshine-infused surf-rock anthems for their fifth studio album Love Balloon.
The Australian giants channel a sense of overwhelming joy across a record inspired by finding love in your nearest, dearest, and everyone in between; whilst not straying too far from the jangling guitars, allegorical imagery of sand between your toes, and euphoric vocal work that feels so quintessentially Ocean Alley.
Love Balloon places colourful melody and lyrical charisma centre stage as their relaxed attitudes flow through a soundscape built upon deeper connections and genre-bending psychedelia. The record’s leading singles, ‘Tangerine’ and ‘Left Of The Dealer’, are housed within a plethora of 60s Western inspired sonic injections, bolstered by textured riffs and a cowboy-esque rhythm element that soars between Donny’s vocal stints. The bounding guitar efforts in the latter track are accompanied by a cruisy-blues attitude and soulful lyricism, mastered to evoke a feel of absorbing the surreal youthful recklessness through a VHS tape whilst sat in a Los Angeles motel.
The first sights of ‘Down The Line’ clasp onto this same attitude, a track that traverses the Wild West and swaps sandy beaches for dusty saloons. It reads like a wedding vow plucked from a Rock n Roll Western, and builds into a piano-driven ballad scattered with jangly guitars and a carefree dynamic.
‘First Blush’ serves as the frontal introduction to ‘Love Balloon’, a whimsical acoustic-driven serenade that bursts into life with a steady drum beat and funk-infused bassline. It may stand out as an unexpectedly steady track in Ocean Alley’s energetic discography, but floats above gentle soundscapes just as you’d expect a love balloon to do. Accompanied by teasing piano elements and a rhythmic breakdown that oozes with a feeling of reggae-fusion, ‘First Blush’ proves itself as a foundation-setter for an album reeling in top-down, sun shining energy.
The six-piece’s instrumental production has never felt tighter than today. Long-standing lovers of Ocean Alley are destined to transcend into another realm during ‘Ain’t No Use’, an overtly standout track in regards to the band’s musical maturity. The boys’ recognition of their depth of friendship and collaboration shines throughout the track; it’s a tasteful, effortlessly executed portrait that excels in offering a snapshot into years worth of dreamy performances and putting their twist on a surf rock success story. The combination of backing vocals, glimmering guitars and infectious melodic stints cement ‘Ain’t No Use’ as a defining track of the album’s end goal.
‘Sweet Boy’ and ‘Love Balloon’ lean into this same sentiment, blending calmly into the middle of the record as each track tells tales of invested romances, all in the wake of the band growing older and building their families outside of the studio. The tracks mirror Ocean Alley’s recognition of new eras, accompanied by a refreshingly familiar soundscape that reflects their musical and personal progression over the decade.
Echoes of twangy guitar continue in ‘Thru Everything’ as the band find their groove, ebbing and flowing between the different dimensions of love detailed in each instrumental tale. ‘Life In Love’ is named aptly, a statement of the record’s overarching thematic intentions. There are no convoluted allegories hidden within the depths of these tracks – it’s the rawest, most heartfelt we’ve ever seen Ocean Alley offer, and it’s destined to take on summer like a storm.
Love Balloon places realism on a pedestal, closing out with ‘Drenched’ as a nostalgia-ridden monologue and farewell to sunnier days. The final track adopts the strongest emotionally resonant feel across the album, despite bright piano melodies and staccato guitars driving the sonics towards the coastline. It serves as a pleasantly relatable final note, isolating gentle vocal work into a song perfectly suited to a credits scene in a teenage film.
The record feels like a judicious, expertly-crafted finale, an almost final goodbye to youthful innocence as Ocean Alley embraces aging in the modern age, rather than being encompassed by the anxieties of existence. Love Balloon has offered concrete proof that the band’s multi-faceted instrumental prowess lives on in a beautiful record suited perfectly to clutching onto a warm cider in a field somewhere, on earth or beyond.
Love Balloon is out Friday 19th September with the band returning to the UK on 27th September for their biggest headline show yet at London’s Ally Pally. Last tickets available HERE.
