The Ocean is currently founding guitarist Robin Staps and longtime bassist Mattias Hägerstrand now that vocalist Loïc Rossetti, drummer Paul Seidel, guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt, and keyboardist Peter Voigtmann (he left in 2023) have all left the band. But fear not! This isn't the end of The Ocean.
According to a new statement from the band, this is only the beginning of a new era, starting with the addition of drummer Jordi Farré. The Ocean also has a new record written and ready to be recorded sometime this year, and will hopefully be out sometime (I'm assuming) in 2026.
"THE END OF AN EON… AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW
"We've announced last summer that the 'End of An Eon' shows would be the last with the current lineup. We decided to add Hellfest +2 more as transitional shows, the first ones with our new drummer Jordi Farré.
"Needless to say, 2024 was a tumultuous year While playing the best shows of our career, we had reached a dead end.
"Loïc has been in the band since 2009, Paul since 2014, Mattias since 2015, David since 2017, Robin since the beginning in 2001.
"Touring takes a heavy toll on body & mind. It can be the best thing in life, but it can also be draining. It's a huge commitment. We have played over 120 shows per year since the end of the pandemic, and counting studio time & travel days, that's far more than half of our lives.
"From that angle, the fact that we've been able to do this together, with a firm group of committed people for more or less a decade against the odds of life, is pretty incredible.
"To celebrate this recent incarnation of The Ocean Collective‘s lineup, we have an Audiotree session [out July 10th] for you that we recorded last summer in Chicago.
"4 songs off 4 different albums from the past 15 years, it is a homage to these fine individuals that were the faces behind the live silhouettes of The Ocean Collective for the past decade, and our send-off to close this recent chapter of the band's (much longer) history.
"'So where do we go from here…?
Just about… anywhwere
Disoriented but alive
Boredom won't get me tonight.'
– Refused
"Rest assured: this band is far from dead. The Ocean Collective will begin a new chapter in 2026.
"Robin has always been the main, and for many albums the only writer of music and lyrics In The Ocean. A new album is not only on the horizon, it's been written for quite some time already, and will be recorded this year.
"We would like to thank you all for being a part of our journey throughout all these years, it means the world to us. We are looking forward to this next chapter, and can't wait to share new music with you."
