Mike O'Brien from Zeus and Jason Haberman of Yukon Blonde teamed up to form Ocean Potion earlier this year, and now they've unveiled their debut album.
Starting as a two-piece, O'Brien and Haberman have since recruited Dave Azzolini (Forces) and Jay McCarol (Brave Shores) to round out the band's upcoming live lineup, but the early stages heard O'Brien and Haberman jamming together in Toronto's west end, experimenting with looping riffs. Eventually, O'Brien began to add words and melodies on top of the loops, and Haberman took over mixing the collection of tunes.
"Many of the songs would begin with a recording that Jay made in his home studio. I would then write words and vocal melodies to fit with what was already there," O'Brien tells Exclaim! "Then we'd get together and experiment with different sounds and textures until it felt right. The mixing process was also very key to the eventual sound and feel of the songs. Jay spent countless sleepless nights while battling an overworked hard drive to get the songs where he wanted them. Every time he would send a new mix the song would seem to take on a whole new colour, which was an exciting process."
He added, "The album represents a burgeoning friendship, and I tried to reflect that through the lyrical themes."
Indeed, the result is a light-hearted record that sounds like it was recorded between two friends. As a press release aptly dubbed it, Ocean Potion is "music for lazy days at home, for walks with headphones and for sunshine through the car window."
And while the impending winter months might not be the sunniest, Ocean Potion will hopefully brighten them up, nonetheless. Stream their self-titled debut album below. It's officially out December 7.
Starting as a two-piece, O'Brien and Haberman have since recruited Dave Azzolini (Forces) and Jay McCarol (Brave Shores) to round out the band's upcoming live lineup, but the early stages heard O'Brien and Haberman jamming together in Toronto's west end, experimenting with looping riffs. Eventually, O'Brien began to add words and melodies on top of the loops, and Haberman took over mixing the collection of tunes.
"Many of the songs would begin with a recording that Jay made in his home studio. I would then write words and vocal melodies to fit with what was already there," O'Brien tells Exclaim! "Then we'd get together and experiment with different sounds and textures until it felt right. The mixing process was also very key to the eventual sound and feel of the songs. Jay spent countless sleepless nights while battling an overworked hard drive to get the songs where he wanted them. Every time he would send a new mix the song would seem to take on a whole new colour, which was an exciting process."
He added, "The album represents a burgeoning friendship, and I tried to reflect that through the lyrical themes."
Indeed, the result is a light-hearted record that sounds like it was recorded between two friends. As a press release aptly dubbed it, Ocean Potion is "music for lazy days at home, for walks with headphones and for sunshine through the car window."
And while the impending winter months might not be the sunniest, Ocean Potion will hopefully brighten them up, nonetheless. Stream their self-titled debut album below. It's officially out December 7.
