Video: Young Jesus, ‘Ocean’ (feat. Tomberlin)
Kevin Bronson on
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“God is just the ocean where I’m lost,” John Rossiter sings gingerly on “Ocean,” the new single from his Chicago-bred, L.A.-based indie outfit Young Jesus.
The song, which features vocals from Saddle Creek Records labelmate Sarah Beth Tomberlin, is certainly not Rossiter’s first attempt to locate God, nor his inaugural dip into the metaphorical ocean. But “Ocean” is another sonic chapter in Young Jesus’ cerebral and deeply moving quest to reconcile heaven and earth — one that is not necessarily about resolution but being at peace with the search.
The gently urgent single, along with Stuart McClave’s video, introduces Young Jesus’ new album, “Shepherd Head,” out Sept. 16. It’s the follow-up to 2020’s brilliant “Welcome to Conceptual Beach,” and, today’s announcement reveals, finds Rossiter embracing new collaborators and improvisation, incorporating found sounds like the ones backgrounding “Ocean” and using only his MacBook, GarageBand and an SM57 microphone in the recording process. “Shepherd Head” was informed in part by the passing of a close friend, but on “Ocean” there is ray of hope, at the very least in the devastating final verse.
“You’re a body meant to dream / In the grip and the release / Walk a fragile path to peace.”
||| Watch: The video for “Ocean”
Saw these guys at the Bootleg and the Moroccan Lounge. They have some deep lyrics but you mostly miss it with their propulsive sound. Glad to see them on here.