Ocean Versus Daughter ‘Appolina’

The story of how Ocean Versus Daughter began life as a band sounds as if it was plucked from the pages of fiction. Lead singer Flanna Sheridan moved to Prague in an effort to break free of a desk job, where she proceeded to meet the four other members of the band in increasingly unlikely scenarios, ranging from Matt Ford, a Brit who had been ‘holidaying’ in Prague for over two years, to Jarmila Junková, a Czech girl who had been studying music theory while traveling around Europe in a caravan.

After building a bit of a local following and honing their craft in a cellar of an old art nouveau building that they had broken into, Ocean Versus Daughter released their debut album late last year. ‘Slightly Parted’ is an enthralling listen, at all times disarmingly melancholic and achingly beautiful, driven equally by Flanna Sheridan’s ethereal, wispy vocals and melodic piano interludes. The band have recently released a video clip to go with the track Appolina, and it’s a stunner.

Firstly, the song. Obviously, it’s gorgeous. It builds slowly to a mesmerising climax as instrument upon instrument is gradually added, resulting in a layered and complex sound that contrasts magnificently with the delicate introduction featuring just a keyboard and a voice. Secondly, the video clip is also rather special, mirroring the growth of the song with gradually appearing bandmembers and increasingly intricate light and ghosting patterns. Put together, the song and the video really are pretty fantastic.

I’ve saved the best to last however, because you can download ‘Slightly Parted’, in all its 12-song glory, for free from Ocean Versus Daughter’s Bandcamp page. Make sure to also check them out on Facebook.