Back in August we invited you to get stoked about Texas indie rocker, Taylor Phelan. Hopefully, we accomplished our mission because today we’d like to invite you to a bigger party. On April 1, the singer finally released his long-awaited debut album, Where The Ocean Shallows, and to say this is your next favorite indie-rock record would be an understatement.
Where The Ocean Shallows was produced by Joshua D. Niles who, as Phelan explains, got the idea right away and perfectly understood what he wanted and envisioned to do. He also counted with the help of the band Colony House’s drummer and bassist to record their parts on the album, giving the songs a new vibe and dynamic.
“If you’re out tonight, I’ll search through the darkness to find you…” is the strong line with which the album opens along with a killer guitar riff during “Monsters.” Then comes “Harvest The Moon” – a song that was released as a single back in July last year. While the song may sound the same, its tone structure speaks different, giving a whole new vibe to it.
The pace slows down a little with “Forever You” – while it isn’t exactly a ballad, the acoustic guitar functions as the main star in this one, along with Phelan’s soft voice and lyrics directed to someone that come straight from the heart. After, comes what I’d personally describe as a highlight on the album; “Mojave” is a little bit more dark rhythmically speaking while it also shows a more experimental side which, to be honest, I’m absolutely loving.
After the fuzz featured on “Help” comes a real good instrumental titled “Time” opening up the way to the title track “Ocean Shallows” – this one being the first track written and one that Taylor described to be the one to set the tone. As in Taylor Phelan’s words – “it’s about disparity. It’s not about the ocean… it’s about where the ocean ends. There exists the contrast between an overwhelming amount of something and an enormous absence of the very same thing.”
Near to its end, “Backstabber” is another highlight, a moody track featuring an amazingly executed climbing synth before the chorus hits. Finally, “Bad News” it’s the perfect closure with its slowly paced vibe.
I think it’s safe to say that Taylor has come a long way since the beginning of his music career, to the leap he took while being a contestant on The Voice to releasing his debut album this year. One thing’s for sure, he keeps getting better and better with time and this record is the proof of it all, both growth and hard work. We wish nothing but the very best for him with this release and the future of his career.
Listen to Where The Ocean Shallows below:
