Page 8 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine - Issue 100

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iver Becomes Ocean show all the signs of a band on the
Rbrink of stardom. They’ve proven that rock isn’t dead
having gained over 500k streams of their debut album ‘A Mo-
tion Paralysed’ on Spotify. Single ‘Silence Means Nothing (feat.
Liam Cormier)’ has reached nearly half of that on its own. Siing
down with River Becomes Ocean members, vocalist Marvin
McMahon, guitarists Danny Snow and Ben Bartup, plus touring
bassist George Donoghue, they chat about what it’s like to be
an upcoming band in 2019, the importance of addressing taboo
subjects of abusive relationships and depression in their music
and vegan baps in Brighton.

iver Becomes Ocean are on the music, can kind of feel if it's you and if it’s
Rcusp of greatness, having just re- true. So I think the most important part is
leased their debut album ‘A Motion Paral- just to be yourself.”
ysed’, which has gone down a storm. Prior Danny adds, “And that's the thing, you
to the album’s release, the band achieved know; we might listen to a new pop album
some significant landmarks, including land- and be like, ‘Oh man, this is exactly what
ing a record deal with Department Musik we want to do.’ And then the next day we
and reaching 100k streams on Spotify for go to the hardcore show and we're like,
their latest single ‘This Hell Is Heaven ‘Man that's so brutal. We need to incorpo-
Sent’. Since signing with Department rate that as well.’ And this is literally how
Musik, we ask the band what the most im- our sound is created, because we have so
portant thing to ask for is when signing a many influences we really really love, so
record deal. Marvin McMahon tells Black we mix it altogether.”
Velvet, “The most important one for us was
the key man clause, just because that arvin is a well-established song-
means if the person at the label that signed Mwriter and composer outside of
you leaves the label, we can go with them the band, and has worked with BMG. We
wherever they go. So that’s important for ask if he transposes these skills into writing
us.” River Becomes Ocean songs? The front- speak up and if they're brave enough to talk about it.
Danny tells us, “We probably wouldn't man replies, “Well, the composing stuff that There’s help out there and for us it's really important to
have a record deal now if we didn't meet I do is new classical music for TV. I guess get this message across.”
our AR, who's a good friend of ours now. the sound that we use in the band has a Ben adds, “I think it's becoming less of a taboo now
When we met him it was a typical ‘right dramatic kind of feel with it, which is so dif- with millennials. It's nice to address and hopefully make
place at right time’ kind of thing. Try find a ferent. But, obviously the experience that the audience feel more comfortable about coming out
good AR.” comes from the composing helps a lot with about these things and speaking about them openly be-
Ben chips in with, “Take your time the band stuff everyone's happy to have in cause there is still a line that people don't really cross
would be mine because a lot of people there.” when they want talk about these things and they feel
think that it all has to be now.” The songs on ‘A Motion Paralysed’ are trapped.”
Spotify has been a fantastic platform in-depth and a variety of interesting topics The legendary Liam Cormier from Cancer Bats fea-
for River Becomes Ocean and their new are exposed. ‘Silence Means Nothing’ is tures on this song. Danny says, “He has such a great per-
album has already reached 500k listens in quite dark, with lyrics such as ‘My bruises sonality, you know. He rode down on his motorcycle from
under two months. We want to find out their are memories that map out my past’ and ‘If London because they had a day off touring and he came
secret. Marvin says, “It's an incredible plat- the bottom of a bottle is your only release to the studio and it was just such good vibes. I mean, he
form. I don't think we would have guessed go ahead and fucking drink it ‘til you have fucking nailed the vocals and he had the vocals done in
that this was going to happen. It's over your relief’. These lyrics address taboo sub- 20 minutes and then chatted to us for two hours”.
500k and counting, we are thrilled. We jects such as addiction and abuse. Danny Danny informs us that, “The advice Liam has given
think all musicians should use this platform tells us, “I think for us growing older as well, us was to stay heavy because he thought 'Silence Means
to promote their music.” we just wanted to focus on other things that Nothing' was the poppiest song on the record and we're
The band is definitely on their way to are not really covered every day. You know, like ‘No, it's probably the heaviest.’ And he was like, ‘Nah,
world domination, an idea they all agree on. we had obviously depression, and suicide man. I think you should stay heavy, dudes’.”
Their music is so diverse, swaying between awareness is a really, really big subject for
pop punk and hardcore. Marvin states, “I us which we had on 'What If I Stay', our first ake My Hand’ addresses the political turmoil we
think the most important part for any musi- EP, so we still want to cover those subjects ‘Tare currently facing. “I think, as a band, there is
cian is just to stay true to what you do and and wake people up, kind of. And yes, like a lot for us to talk about because we all come from differ-
do what you feel happy with and create abusive relationships, people need to get ent places,” says Ben.
music that you can be proud of. Then I out of it, people need to talk about it. It can't Danny adds, “Being on a stage and talking to people
think people, when they listen to your be taboo anymore, you know, if people you have a very, very big influence and power over peo-

RIVER BECOMES OCEAN