Ocean Grove are an Australian nu metal band formed in 2010. Their initial line-up was Jimmy Hall on guitar, Luke Holmes on lead vocals, Mathias Morales on drums and vocals, Dale Tanner on vocals and bass guitar, and Running Touch on guitar. In 2013 Morales was replaced on drums by Sam Bassal and in the following year Matthew Henley joined on guitar as Touch became a studio-only member. As of March 2020, they have released two extended plays and two studio albums.
History
2010–2016: Formation and EPs
Ocean Grove were formed in 2010 in Melbourne originally as a post-hardcore band by Luke Holmes, Dale Tanner, Running Touch, Jimmy Hall and Matias Morales. This line-up released a demo in 2010, followed by their debut extended play, Outsider in 2013, before Morales' departed the band later that year and was replaced by Sam Bassal. A single was released in late 2013 called "The Dead Years". In 2014 Running Touch stopped touring with the band to focus on his solo project, while remaining as a studio member and Matt Henley was brought in as an additional guitarist. On 12 June 2015 the band released their second extended play, Black Label, which peaked at No. 50 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was followed by the Black Label Tour around Australia in July 2015 with support from Devastator and Void of Vision. The band was a supporting act, alongside Like Moths to Flames, Buried in Verona and August Burns Red for Northlane's headlining Australian tour in November 2015. In 2016, Ocean Grove supported both In Hearts Wake and Northlane on their "Equinox" dual-headlining tour.
2016–2018: ''The Rhapsody Tapes''
On 27 April 2016 the band had signed with UNFD and released a new single, "Lights on Kind of Lover". The EP Black Label was released the United States and Europe under the revised title, Black Label , with "Lights on Kind of Lover" included. On 1 December 2016 Ocean Grove released a new single, "These Boys Light Fires". On 21 December they released another single, "Intimate Alien", along with its music video and announced that they would release their debut album, The Rhapsody Tapes, on 3 February 2017. Upon its release The Rhapsody Tapes reached No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart in its first week, and was selected as a "Feature Album" by Australian radio station, Triple J. On 24 May 2017 Ocean Grove announced their national headlining tour, which spanned from 4 to 12 August with support from Justice for the Damned, Broken, and the Beverly Chills. The band then supported All That Remains and Falling in Reverse for their co-headlining Coming Home to Madness Tour in the US from 25 September to 6 October 2017, followed by a run of shows alongside Northlane, Erra and Invent Animate in Europe and the United Kingdom, which went from 23 November to 16 December of that year. Ocean Grove were one of the bands that performed at the first ever Download Festival Australia at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse on 24 March 2018, as well as playing shows that same week in Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide supporting Limp Bizkit and Of Mice & Men.
2018–present: Line-up changes and ''Flip Phone Fantasy''
On 2 May 2018 Ocean Grove signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG. In an interview with Depth magazine, Dale Tanner revealed that the band was working on material for a new album, then stating in a separate interview with Spotlight Report that a new single would come out later in the year with a new album possibly coming out in 2019. On 14 December 2018, Ocean Grove released a new single "Glass Gloss", and announced that vocalist Luke Holmes and guitarist Jimmy Hall would be leaving the band and will be performing with the band for the last time at the Unify Gathering on 11 January 2019, with the band continuing on as a four-piece. On 3 February 2019 the band released a teaser for their new member in the style of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater character selection menu. On 4 February 2019 they premiered a new single, 'Ask for the Anthem' and announced the addition of Twiggy Hunter to the lineup on bass, with Dale Tanner moving to full-time frontman.
Style
Ocean Grove's musical style is generally considered as nu metal, grunge, nu metalcore and hardcore punk. The band themselves often describe their sound as "Odd World Music".
