Berlin based five-piece, THE OCEAN tell us a little bit about their new single based on the only known immortal being on earth…
”Turritopsis Dohrni” is THE OCEAN‘s first new track released, since their 2015 ”Transcendental” – split EP with Japan’s post rock legends MONO.
The instrumental track was recorded as part of the “Pelagial” recording session, and is named after a tiny jellyfish species that lives in the Mediterranean, the only immortal species on earth.
“Jellyfish are weird creatures”, comments THE OCEAN guitarist Robin Staps.“They start their lives as polyps which are basically something closer to a plant than to an animal, something that grows on a rock. These polyps reproduce asexually, by cell division. The result becomes the free-swimming medusa, a jellyfish. Jellies reproduce sexually, and then they die… except this little guy here.”
Once the adult form of the species Turritopsis dohrnii have reproduced, they don’t die – instead, they revert back into their juvenile polyp state. They shrink, their tentacles retract and they sink to the ocean floor to start their unique life cycle all over again… and not just once, but infinitely. Hence the only way that they can die is by disease, or if they get eaten by a predator.
“This track begins and ends with the same part, reflecting that eternal cycle”, says Staps. But there is more to it than that.
“Learning about this tiny creature made me think about how we are desperately striving for physical rejuvenation and intellectual immortality… the other side of the coin is the fact that we barely see any old people these days. In a city like Berlin, everyone is young, healthy and pretty. Elder people get locked away in homes that most of us will never get to see or visit, unless we have family members unfortunate enough to become old.”
Take a listen to THE OCEAN’s ”Turritopsis Dohrnii” below…
Let us know what you think!
“Turritopsis Dohrnii” appears as part of a compilation released on Staps’ label PELAGIC RECORDS, titled “In The Twilight, These Rocks Have Teeth”.
The compilation is available in 2xCD and digital formats, showcasing the entire Pelagic Records roster, from well-established acts such as MONO, CULT OF LUNA, PG.LOST or BISON to newcomers such as LLNN or SPOOK THE HORSES.
While the compilation’s first disc,”In The Twilight..’‘, focuses on the more calm, post-rock oriented side of the label, the second disc, ”These Rocks Have Teeth” dives deep down into the realm of dark and epic heavy music that the label has become known for, throughout their catalog of now over 90 releases.
This compilation is a carefully designed and very listenable playlist, a perfect ride through the vast Pelagic Records universe!
THE OCEAN are currently taking a year off from touring, but the band is working on their upcoming album, to be released in 2018.
“I’m super excited about the new material. We have consciously decided to take our time with this, but now it’s all shaping up the right way… and we have some other cool stuff in the making”, Staps comments.
Date: 19 September 2017
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