Album Review: Ocean Alley - Chiaroscuro

Psych-rockers Ocean Alley deliver a colourful, full-length second album, Chiaroscuro.

Single Confidence presents a whomping bass line that intertwines the track's tight marriage of hoarse electric guitar and straight drums, through a laid-back, funky groove. Vocals drenched in harmony echo through a gradual build of synths into perfectly placed hypnotic motifs creating an elaborate, electric soundscape.

Dream sequence Knees engulfs a relaxed nature through its streams of gliding electric guitar that ebb and flow across a beautiful, fluctuating vocal. The track inspires by understanding and comforting the confusion of growing into the person you're supposed to be; it's relatable and rousing.

A spooky riff introduces Rage, matching intoxicating vocals as they harmonise and develop into an eerie, panning synth that falls from ear to ear. A carefully relayed, honest depiction of emotion and melody captivates and propels the listener into a wall of sound, blending gritty electric guitars and weaving top lines, raised by grungy drums to hold it all together.

As the album's title suggests, this work explores both light and shade. In a confident step forward, Ocean Alley have crafted a seamless blend of the two within their constantly evolving melting pot of psychedelic and surf rock.