The Ocean Blue Announce 1st Album In 6 Years, “Kings and Queens” Video w/ Billboard + Tour
Photo Credit: Darin Back
The Ocean Blue Announce 1st Album In 6 Years, “Kings and Queens” Video w/ Billboard + Tour
Dream pop legends The Ocean Blue today announced the release of their first new album in over 6 years – Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves is out June 21 on Korda Records. Billboard premiered the Seventh Seal-esque video for first single “Kings and Queens,” also out today ahead of their tour next month.
Watch / Share: “Kings and Queens”
The Ocean Blue arrived as the 1980s drew to close, and their debut record on famed Sire Records (Madonna, The Cure, The Smiths, Talking Heads, the Ramones, etc) in 1989 seemed to summarize the best of the musical decade. The band of four teenagers from Hershey, PA quickly achieved widespread acclaim and Top 10 Modern Rock/College Radio & MTV airplay, with hits like “Between Something and Nothing” and “Drifting, Falling.” Now they’ve returned with the signature atmospheric new wave sound that’s back in music again on the beautifully powerful Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves. The new album comes out June 21 on Korda Records, a Minneapolis-based cooperative label the band helped launch.
The band’s subtle and atmospheric sophomore album Cerulean, which included one of their most beloved songs “Ballerina Out of Control,” was followed by the release of their highest charting pop album, Beneath the Rhythm and Sound and fourth record for Mercury/PolyGram, See The Ocean Blue. After a busy decade of recording and touring, the band left the majors in the late 1990s. In 2013, after much anticipation, The Ocean Blue released their first full length record in over 10 years, Ultramarine on Korda Records. The album was a welcome return for fans of the band and a younger generation of fans, garnering widespread praise as one of their very best. In 2015, the band worked with Sire Records and Shelflife to reissue their first three Sire albums on vinyl.
Frontman David Schelzel is also part of international supergroup 5 Billion in Diamonds led by legendary producer/drummer Butch Vig, making music with alumni of Spiritualized, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Echo & the Bunnymen and more.
Catch The Ocean Blue at a show near you (dates below & tickets here) and stay tuned for more!
Tour Dates
6/22: Lancaster, PA @ Tellus360
6/23: Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
6/27: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
6/28: Portland, OR @ Holocene
7/26: Minneapolis, MN @ The Fine Line
7/27: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
8/23: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
8/24: Norfolk, VA @ NorVa
9/5: Lima, PERU @ Coco’s Club
9/6: Arequipa, PERU @ El QuinQué
10/4: Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/5: Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java
11/1: Detroit, MI @ The Magic Bag
11/3: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/17: Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
12/6: Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
