Review: Dive into the Serene Sounds of oceanfromtheblue’s First Full-Length Album
Photo Cr: Warner Music Korea / Photographer: NOVV KIM
Since making his debut in March 2018, with his EP album Luv-fi, singer-songwriter oceanfromtheblue has become a staple name within the K-R&B music scene. From starting out as an independent artist, sharing music on SoundCloud, to now being part of the Warner Music Korea family (signed to their subsidiary label Nostalgia Music), oceanfromtheblue has seen his musical craft go from strength to strength, with strong poetic lyricism and harmonious vocals making him one of the most diverse acts of Korean R&B.
After 2022 saw oceanfromtheblue perform at the likes of Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, MU:CON, and in London, Amsterdam, and Paris as a part of fellow K-R&B artist GSOUL’s European tour, February 2023 has seen him release his first ever full-length album, eponymously titled oceanfromtheblue. Released on February 2, this album consists of 12 warm and introspective R&B tracks, including pre-releases “Come Back Home,” “Treasure,” and “Scent,” with each song respectively blending a touch of ballad, pop, disco, funk, and alternative undertones into his signature soothing R&B style. oceanfromtheblue also features the vocals of singer-songwriter Sunwoojunga and former K-Pop girl group CLC member Yeeun, as well as backing vocals and participation from the likes of slchld, lomi, MRSHLL, and several other artists and producers within the K-R&B realm. Each song on this album gives a glimpse into oceanfromtheblue’s personal life, allowing listeners to escape from their own realities and, instead, dive into the serene sounds of oceanfromtheblue’s music.
oceanfromtheblue opens with a strong sense of serenity and an operatic ambiance with the first track “Breath.” When combined with oceanfromtheblue’s delicate vocals, “Breath” instantly creates a tranquil and magical atmosphere that provides an insight into the mood of the remaining 11 songs, with the instrumentation utilizing a twinkling sound with laidback strings and downbeat percussion. Later, a magical orchestral band is introduced, building an instrumental connection to the second track, “Past Life.” Using a different orchestral band backtrack, “Past Life” provides the perfect sound for a movie soundtrack; like “Breath,” there is a magical essence to “Past Life” that transports your imagination straight into a rom-com setting. The instrumentation, itself, somewhat toys with this idea of a film, providing a beginning, middle, and end to the song's story through its uses of transitions and different instrumental uses. It opens with an orchestral band sound, then moves into a stripped-back guitar composition, before returning to the orchestra band, and later adding a powerful electric guitar and keyboard to the mix, bringing the song to a stunning end.
oceanfromtheblue’s vocals have always been a delight to listen to, both through studio recordings and live concert performances, but from this album project, and these first two songs alone, listeners can definitely hear that oceanfromtheblue’s vocals have become stronger and more defined. He showcases excellent ability to play along with the backtracks through both his vocal tone and pitch range, with the end of “Past Life” highlighting oceanfromtheblue’s impressive high vocal skills that he continues to display in the third track “Close to You.” A collaborative track with singer-songwriter and producer Sunwoojunga, “Close to You” continues the album's mellow nature with Sunwoojunga’s soothing tone beautifully complementing oceanfromtheblue’s voice.
Photo cr: @oceanfromtheblue via Instagram / Photographer: NOVV KIM
The next track, “Come Back Home,” is a personal favorite of mine; it was a pre-release and collaborative single with Yeeun that was unveiled last year on November 22. “Come Back Home” uses a chilled and contemporary disco-R&B instrumentation that opens as if the backtrack has been submerged underwater before gradually rising to reach the surface of the listener's ears, where oceanfromtheblue’s vocals kick in. The lyrics relay a story of oceanfromtheblue missing a former lover and wishing for them to “come back home” with the melody and the repetition of the words “come back home,” in the chorus, being addictive and instantly having listeners vibing and singing along.
The fifth track “Open Your Mind” provides a sensual, contemporary funk backdrop driven by a sleek bass guitar, synth sounds, and a xylophone, as well as an impressive guitar section that takes place under an all-English conversation between oceanfromtheblue and a love interest. From start to finish, “Open Your Mind” is the perfect track to listen to when wanting to relax and unwind and is another track on the album that allows oceanfromtheblue’s singing abilities to shine through as he plays around with his vocals. Be ready to sing along to the ad-libs in the bridge!
The oceanfromtheblue album uses laid-back and chilled vibes to the best of its abilities, providing different variations of these notions throughout all of its songs. The sixth track, the slow and romantic R&B track “Scent” (which had an early release on January 23), uses an acoustic guitar with chilled percussion to provide a laid-back ambiance while “Marriage” takes listeners down a calming and serene path through slower instrumentation that is reminiscent to oceanfromtheblue’s earlier work. Released as the second single to oceanfromtheblue’s “Come Back Home” pre-release on November 22, the seventh track “Treasure” then goes down a different laid-back path, taking listeners on an enjoyable yet chilled and upbeat bedroom-pop ride complete with an exciting, psychedelic, and alternative section (towards the end of the song) that leaves you wanting to hear more from oceanfromtheblue in this style.
Photo cr: @oceanfromtheblue via Instagram / Photographer: NOVV KIM
The next three tracks: “30” featuring Kuhyun (another one of oceanfromtheblue’s longtime collaborators), “Peter-Pan,” and “Brother,” each provide their own levels of relaxation and calmingness. Although using different instrumentations and melodies, “30” and “Peter-Pan” have a connecting story with both of these songs relaying a message about the struggles of aging and growing up. “Brother,” on the other hand, is slightly more upbeat than “30” and “Peter-Pan” with its catchy repetitiveness of the Korean word ‘Dongsaeng’ (younger sibling/friend) being a great component of the song. oceanfromtheblue then comes to a hauntingly peaceful end with stunning piano sounds, voice recordings, and spoken words, in the outro “Room 6 Interlude,” which gives an audio glimpse and a message into the studio work and process behind this album.
The entire oceanfromtheblue album provides listeners with serene and mellow variations of R&B music. Whether listeners want to hear emotional, heartfelt tracks or upbeat, yet simultaneously chilled sounds, there is something in this album for every K-Music fan to enjoy. Go and support oceanfromtheblue as he continues to grow within the K-R&B scene by listening to his music on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, and by keeping up to date with all of his endeavors on his Twitter and Instagram.