OCOV ends two year hiatus with the release of Priphea and upcoming Fredericton performance.
Matt Carter
Nicholas Laugher’s solo project Ocean Charter of Values seems to exist in a constant state of flux. Shifting between atmospheric soundscapes and traditional song structures, OCOV may best be described as an audio notebook, a collection of ideas that exist without any consistent form or direction. This freedom is what drives Laugher’s creativity and something that helps make OCOV whatever he needs it to be, whenever he needs it.
Earlier this month Laugher released Priphea, his first new music with the project since 2017’s Hack The Planet, a full-length album released via the Fredericton label Patient Records.
“It’s the first track where I think I’ve really gotten to the heart of what OCOV is, and the first one where I was comfortable playing everything,” said Laugher. “It’s kind of an exploration of living with mental illness, and the acceptance of that and how it’s a double-edged sword.”
Priphea finds Laugher pairing his interest in moody experimentation with his more conventional songwriting. Opening with an off-time loop that slowly fades to reveal a consistent tempo driven by guitar, muted percussion and what may be Laugher’s strongest vocal delivery to date, OCOV’s first new music in two years finds the project, and more importantly, Laugher, in a good place.
Upcoming Performances:
Ocean Charter of Values + Wrote | October 19 | Bellwether | Fredericton | View Event
