From the first moments of the opening track "Alone Together," 'GHOSTS' —the melancholically ominous extended play from commanding New York artist/producer, Fallen Oceans —plunges you deep into a well of elusive vibes with masquerading lamentations on youthful love and the indiscretions related to it. The music conjures swaying basement chill vibes, feeling like being awash underneath red glowing neon lights with heartstrings draped around you from the ceiling, effortlessly floating in the abstracts of your deepest emotions. It seems inevitable to reminisce over tightly packaged feelings you may be struggling with concerning a significant other when listening. Still, it's all welcomed as we slip more in-depth into the emotions Fallen Oceans describes effortlessly. The weight and crush introduced by the spacious ambiance and emotionally strung subject matter only enhance the EP's warming glow.
Fallen Oceans first came onto the scene with his 2018 single "Heartbreak Club." On 'GHOSTS', the follow-up to his debut, 2019's 'Bleach', he continues to concentrate his complex influences into something of his design. With the singing voice reminiscent of JOJI and with light influences from contemporary legends and the sensibilities of RnB music's most successful: Ocean is carving out his own path with this Extended Play. He has tapped into a startlingly modern take on R&B coming out of the NY scene.
Fallen Oceans sings with compelling lure and confidence masked in an effortless delivery, and his lines have an elusive lullaby-cadence that takes you to another place entirely. On "I Saw an Angel," he harmonizes in a gentle near-whisper, slipping through the cracks of a slighted love when he laments, "nevermind, don't care if you're divine, you won't be my life." On "Without You," he borrows from the ambiance of the glowing synths shouting, "You don't understand me, you don't understand me...I will fly without you" over a bouncy 808 and hi-hat combination supplying the right amount of momentum this track needs to move forward. With "The Ghost of You," feeling like the ballad of the year (delicate with a spacious piano-centric production), the whole record captures the rawness of early love's embrace even as Fallen Oceans lyrics veer explicitly into a more pessimistic leaning view on "Surrender," he sings: "So much for trying, I'd sing you the last song that I wrote..."). The bitterness is lifted up by the sweetness of the production, the twinkling of the musical harmonies in the backdrop, and ultimately, by the engrossing mood of love wasted melancholy. The theme resembles to be existentialism on dating and youthful passion.
At only five short tracks, there's very little ill-treated space. The compactness provides the cohesion that this EP needs, allowing Fallen Oceans a tighter grip on the specific vibe he endeavors to capture. It's a complete concept, and the themes it conjures are graphic and glamorous enough to induce a trance while listening. With a short runtime, it leaves you wanting more, but most importantly, it leaves you wanting.
You can find the 'GHOSTS' EP here.
Hey there, Fallen Oceans! Welcome to BuzzMusic! We're overjoyed to be featuring your latest extended play 'GHOSTS'! Can you pinpoint some of the critical themes and inspirations you found to be the influence in your writing process for this EP?
Thank you for the feature! The main theme that served as the basis of "GHOSTS" was that being in love can overrun your sense of judgment; starting with a high feeling and ending with painful consequences. When you're in love, you feel like you're invincible, but heartbreak is like kryptonite. The sole inspiration for this project was an unhealthy past relationship that I had never fully processed emotionally.
You touch on some vulnerable topics in your music, how do you find the strength to open up about some of the exposed subjects found in this EP? Is it a challenge or something natural to you?
Music has been my outlet to process emotions for as long as I can remember. Before I was making music, listening to music was therapeutic for me as well. It was a challenge to open up at first, but after hearing that my music felt true to people from different places around the world, I realized that authenticity is half of what makes a song. From then on, every song of mine has been written from my heart and at this point, I'm happy to say it feels natural to me.
Your music feels reminiscent of notable artists from the past, but who has had the most significant influence on your life musically thus far?
I am heavily influenced by Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and late rappers Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION. I have learned a lot from them about being guided by emotion and the power of vulnerability in lyrics. All of these artists were pioneers in their respective music genres, and I hope to be a pioneer in my genre.
Thank you for joining us, Fallen Oceans! It was great having you here on BuzzMusic! Do you have any goals set out on producing for others or collaborating with any new artist in the future? We're excited to hear what's next for you.
Thank you so much for having me! My goal as a producer has always been to bring the artist's vision of a song to life as accurately as possible, so I hope to continue doing that to the best of my ability. After recently falling in love with their music, I hope to make songs with Powfu and SadBoyProlific in the future. As for upcoming music, I can't give away too much, but definitely keep an eye out for a collaboration with my friend JUSTEND, as well as a beat I produced with my friend Swablu.
What is one message you want your fans and listeners to know about you and your music?
My one message for my fans is channel hate and negativity from others into motivation and positive action. If nobody had told me my music was bad or that I'd never go anywhere with music, I probably wouldn't have worked as hard as I have to be where I am today. I have put thousands of hours into music and I can now say I have proved the haters from high school wrong. Do what you love and disregard what anyone else thinks.