“Ocean Alley are on a seemingly endless ascent to the peak of their creative vision”
– Music Feeds“Enough superstar power to blast a hole into outer space.”
– Life Without Andy
Beloved Australian rock outfit Ocean Alley return with their uplifting new single ‘Touch Back Down’, out today. The release follows the announcement of two Queensland shows added to the band’s national tour in early 2022, for a total of 11 dates around the country.
Tickets to Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast are on sale from 12pm AEDT Friday. Final tickets to remaining shows available now at oceanalley.com.au.
Infused with their classic sun-drenched sound and infectious groove, ‘Touch Back Down’ is a story about turning a negative into a positive, and always finding the light side of a problem. It was written during a last-minute writing session in Byron Bay, which only came to be after Bluesfest was cancelled at the eleventh hour in April this year.
Boppy from its opening bars, the track features an intoxicating sing-along melody that paired with swirling guitars and shimmering keys, create a warmth and brightness that feels like summer. It builds to an emphatic chorus where frontman Baden Donegal’s soaring vocals shine, and are punctuated by stunning harmonized backing vocals.
On the new single, Baden shared “It’s exciting to have new music out. The more records we write, the more we can explore our sound and style, which is why they are ever-changing. ‘Touch Back Down’ gives a much happier vibe than any single from Lonely Diamond and we’re definitely carrying that upbeat energy across our writing at the moment. It provides a pretty good insight into the feel we’re going for in terms of our next record.”
Guitarist Mitch Galbraith added, “It feels more playful than Lonely Diamond and we wanted it to be that way. After the craziness of the past two years, we wanted to be less serious and write songs that will get people moving rather than thinking. We felt that we could write music this time around that is less introspective and with a little more storytelling, so this is the first taste of that new direction.”
The band are stoked to return to the road for their national tour which kicks off in Perth on January 21, joined by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Dulcie on support. They have extended the run with two shows in Queensland, stopping at NightQuarter in Sunshine Coast and HOTA on the Gold Coast – the latter which will see The Belligerents and Seaside added to the lineup.
$3 from every ticket sold across these new shows will be donated to the long-time partners of Ocean Alley’s community branch A Day For The Beaches – namely One Eighty, a youth mental health and wellbeing focused organisation based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches; Red Dust who work to inspire positive change and improve health outcomes of remote Indigenous communities; and Cerebral Palsy Alliance who help people living with neurological and physical disabilities live the most comfortable, independent and inclusive lives that they can.
From Northern Beaches dive bars to sold out international tours, Ocean Alley’s evolution has been driven by an endless pursuit to push their sound and abilities to new limits. Operating as a proudly independent band, their output has always been underscored by a refreshingly chilled authenticity and relatability that has seen them achieve more than 450 million catalogue streams.
Since the release of their Gold-certified breakthrough Chiaroscuro (2018) which saw the band take the #1 spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2018 for their double platinum smash ‘Confidence’, the six-piece have performed major festivals including Reading & Leeds (UK), Splendour In The Grass (AUS) and Sziget (HU), debuted at #3 on the ARIA charts for their critically acclaimed 2020 album Lonely Diamond, have received Gold certification on five singles and been nominated for 2 ARIA Awards.
OCEAN ALLEY AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2021
with Psychedelic Porn Crumpets & DulcieTickets on sale now from oceanalley.com.au
Fri 21 Jan – Fremantle Arts Centre, FremantleSOLD OUT
Wed 9 Feb – Riverstage, Brisbane FINAL TICKETS
Thu 10 Feb – Riverstage, Brisbane FINAL TICKETS
Fri 11 Feb – HOTA, Gold Coast NEW SHOW*
Sat 12 Feb – NightQuarter, Sunshine Coast NEW SHOW Fri 18 Feb – Hordern Pavilion, SydneySOLD OUT Sat 19 Feb – Hordern Pavilion, SydneySOLD OUT Sun 20 Feb – Hordern Pavilion, SydneySOLD OUT Wed 23 Feb – John Cain Arena, MelbourneSOLD OUT Fri 25 Feb – Thebarton Theatre, AdelaideSOLD OUT
Sat 26 Feb – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide FINAL TICKETSPresented by triple j, Lonely Lands Agency & UNIFIED Music Group
*Supported by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Dulcie, The Belligerents and Seaside.