Being as an Ocean
Spoken-word poetry colliding with cinematic post-rock swells and melodic hardcore grit. Introspective, heavy, and deeply cathartic music for the emotionally honest.
Spoken-word poetry colliding with cinematic post-rock swells and melodic hardcore grit. Introspective, heavy, and deeply cathartic music for the emotionally honest.
Being as an Ocean sounds like a storm breaking over a calm sea. It is a striking juxtaposition of delicate, shimmering post-rock textures and the raw, unbridled energy of melodic hardcore. One moment you are drifting through a wash of reverb-heavy guitars and ambient synths, and the next you are hit with a wall of sound and a vocal delivery that feels like a physical exhale of pain and relief. It is music that occupies the space between a whisper and a scream.
What truly sets them apart is their use of 'talk music' or spoken word. Vocalist Joel Quartuccio delivers poetic, deeply personal narratives that feel like overheard prayers or confessions. This isn't just background music; it is a storytelling experience where the instrumentation acts as a cinematic score to the internal monologue of the lyrics. The clean vocals of Michael McGough provide a soaring, melodic counterpoint that adds a layer of accessibility and hope to the band's more aggressive outbursts.
Start with 'How We Both Wondrously Perish' to hear the band at their most balanced and dynamic. It captures the perfect intersection of their hardcore roots and their atmospheric ambitions. If you prefer something more raw and lyrically driven, their debut 'Dear G-d...' remains a foundational text for the melodic hardcore scene, offering a masterclass in emotional vulnerability.
Being as an Ocean is an American post-hardcore band from Alpine, California, formed in 2011. They have released six studio albums: Dear G-d..., How We Both Wondrously Perish, a self-titled album, Waiting for Morning to Come, released on 8 September 2017, PROXY: An A.N.I.M.O. Story, released in 2019, and Death Can Wait in 2024. How We Both Wondrously Perish was released in May 2014 and charted at number 57 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, layered dense, dynamic range (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, layered dense, dynamic range (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, dynamic range, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, dynamic range, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock, emo (subgenres); reverb heavy, layered dense, dynamic range (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, layered dense, dynamic range (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, dynamic range, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); vulnerable, cathartic, intense (moods)
Shares reverb heavy, layered dense, dynamic range (production style); post-hardcore, emo (subgenres)
Shares post-hardcore, post-rock (subgenres); reverb heavy, dynamic range, layered dense (production style)
Shares post-rock, ocean, post-hardcore, cathartic (signature)
Shares post-rock, emo, post-hardcore, cathartic (signature)
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