The Danish noise-pop rockers from The Oceans are back after a few years’ break. They’ve turned down the fuzzy guitars, but have not forgotten their knack for writing a catchy melody on ‘Did You Know’ which lands on March 25th. The song marks the beginning of their long-awaited debut album, containing references to bands like Raveonettes but surprisingly also Dolly Parton and The Lion King.

"We needed to lose a bit of control”, says Linus Valdemar, who’s part of the Danish noise pop duo The Oceans, who’re releasing the single 'Did You Know' on March 25th. "Yeah, we knew we had to do something very different this time around”, the band's second main character, Dan Joe says.

On The Oceans' previous, highly acclaimed two EPs, Linus and Dan Joe have been responsible for the productions themselves. But this time they felt a need for a breath of fresh air to their sound. Both good and bad habits had to be challenged, and therefore the choice of producer fell on Noah Rosannes (Nelson Can, Johan Kolstrup, Ida Gard), who was given free rein to experiment on what has ended up becoming an entire album.

Inspired by The Lion King and Dolly Parton
“The first thing Noah did when we played our demos for him was to turn off all the guitar tracks. Already at that point we were out of our comfort zone”, laughs the duo, whose noisy fuzz guitars have been a recurring element on their previous releases, receiving lots of airplay on Danish radio and rave reviews in several magazines both at home and abroad.

They agree that ‘Did You Know’ is the best introduction to the development the band has undergone over the last year or so. Although their guitars have not been completely shelved, it is safe to say that other elements are now taking the center stage of the music.

The electronic sound has been allowed into their universe, and in some places the drums in particular sound like something you’d expect to hear on the the hip-hop or house scene. "In the studio, we've used references to bands like The Raveonettes, but also things like The Lion King, Bruno Mars and Dolly Parton in order to challenge the way we normally write music”, says Dan Joe, squinting at Linus, who laughs and nods.

The pop melody in focus
The catchy pop melodies still reign supreme in the band’s soundscape however, and on 'Did You Know' it’s Linus Valdemar's sparkling clear vocals that sing melancholic lines like "did you know the truth would get you home by now, save you from the pain that lives in you somehow” with a conviction that very few singers can compete with.

And even if at first glance one would think that such lines were aimed at a wife or a girlfriend, the song is actually about friendship - perhaps between the two The Oceans members Dan Joe and Linus, who are releasing the first single from their upcoming debut album on March 25th.