Greek newcomers Oceandvst have honed a catchy and engaging sound that toes the line between pop-punk, rock and alternative and they intriguingly describe as “darkness with colours.”
Oceandvst started out back in 2017 when Jimmy attended the shooting of a music video of his friends’ band, in which Chrysa was an actor. Neither had immediate plans to start a band but that evolved naturally when they got talking about Chrysa’s love for pop-punk and inability to find the right band members. The next day, the pair began writing songs and three months later they’d completed their first EP.
They soon started playing shows all over Greece and, from there, things moved quickly. They soon brought Evan on board to complete the lineup and start working on their debut album Floating, which was released in 2021. Since then, the trio have garnered a reputation for having a straightforward attitude and an emotional openness that brings passion to people who struggle to express their feelings.
And on the sound they’ve honed over the last few years, Jimmy said: “This is actually one of the hardest things to do. So, when someone asks us what kind of music do we play? We instantly say pop punk. But nowadays, I don’t think that we sound like a pop punk band, not at all. We actually jump into the studio and write whatever comes to our minds. Overall, I think that alternative rock is a way to describe our music.”
Our first taste of the band was the band’s most recent single NME, which was released in November. It was initially planned to be their final song as Oceandvst, after coming to the decision to break up but actually turned out to be the catalyst for bringing them closer together as a trio.
The track starts with light instrumentals that continue under Chrysa’s engaging vocals, which develop into a higher-pitched build-up to a big catchy chorus. It drops back into another laid-back verse that gives way to heavier guitars and leads into another singalong chorus. Second-time around, the chorus drops into chunky guitars and heavier drums before a breakdown of chunky guitars and effects-ridden vocals, before a final blast of the chorus.
On the track, Jimmy told us: “NME proved to be the track that made our bonds grow stronger and made us appreciate what we have achieved so far not only as musicians but as friends as well, we three are a family and we all know we can count on each other.
“NME was a big turning point musically for us. We tried many different things like using electronic sounds and synthesizers giving a more aggressive and dreamy vibe to the track at the same time, so we were very curious to see how our fans would react. We were happy to realize that they embraced the track as a pleasant surprise, seeing it more as our natural evolution rather than a change.” Check it out in the video here:
The band has a strong back catalogue of music to dig your teeth into, including the excellent The Risk from their Floating album. We also recommend checking out a couple of excellent covers of Halsey’s Nightmare and Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U.
The Oceandvst sound has been heavily influenced by bands like My Chemical Romance, Paramore and Tonight Alive. And Jimmy says: “We grew up with this stuff, so it’s hard for us not to be influenced by them. But nowadays, we listen to different kinds of music, so I could say that every kind of music that’s out there, even K-pop, it’s an influence.”
And on what inspires them to write music, he adds: “Our everyday experiences are a big part of our music. I mean, when it comes to lyrics, it’s clear that we describe situations we’ve been through. So I could say all the bad things in life happen for a reason!”
We’ve not met too many bands from Greece, and Jimmy told us: “Greece has many extremely talented musicians and bands but is also a difficult country to find success as a rock band mainly because of its music norm. Fans are very supportive I would say, a lot of bands here have very packed venues and receive a lot of love, but then again who can deny that even more support would be desirable?”
Building on the success of NME, there’s plenty more to come from OceanDvst. As Jimmy tells us: “After receiving all that support and love from our fans for NME we have to promise them that we’ll make some great music, many shows, and maybe a tour when that’s possible. People should know that Oceandvst is not just an escape; Oceandvst is a safe space for all those who feel that they need it.”
You can follow Oceandvst on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to Oceandvst on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Punk and GigRadar Rock
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