There's always a part of us that wilts away when certain local bands call it quits. Fans of beloved Tampa outfits Giddy Up, Helicopter! and offshoot Sleepy Vikings know this feeling well, and while those groups are now long gone, a bit of both lives on thanks to Atlantic Oceans.
Vikings/Giddy Up primary Julian Connor provides guitars for the new-ish Tampa outfit that just released a debut recorded by King Of Spain's Matt Slate. Youth's two tracks clock in at just five minutes all together, and while the bulk of vocal duties are handled by singer Stephanie Anderson and drummer Tessa McKenna, Connor's lower tones slide into the mix on the release's b-side, "Ironhead." It all shines brightest on "Nuncora," though, where images of "thunder, lightning, and factory smoke" dance on top of joyously jangly guitars.
"When I write the songs for Atlantic Oceans I don't specifically think about any of my (or our) past projects, though I do have second guitar parts written for some of these songs, which reminds me of the Sleepy Vikings days," Connor, 30, wrote in a message to CL. Lyrical inspiration changes from song to song, but themes revolve around "being younger and the memories that go along with growing up." Still, Connor doesn't like to work on lyrics for longer than a week or two.
"My favorite lyrics are the ones that write themselves, basically," he explained. He admitted the real challenge has been writing vocals for someone other than himself. "Most of the stuff I write is really wordy and I cram a lot of syllables into each line, but I'm trying to tone that down for the girls because their voices are so good."
On Saturday, the Atlantic Oceans released 100 green, hand-numbered 7" records as part of New Granada Records' commemorative 20th anniversary release series. Label head Keith Ulrey told CL he was proud to issue the debut. "I was just as bummed as everyone else when Sleepy Vikings made the decision to call it a day. But, as soon as I saw Atlantic Oceans play live, hearing the new songs for the first time, I was instantly in," Ulrey, 42, wrote. "I've always been a big fan of 'vocal' groups, or artists that use the voice and vocal harmony as an instrument, so this new direction for Tessa and Connor with the addition of Stephanie was right up my alley."
Have a look at the artwork (by Vikings drummer Ryann Slauson) above and listen to the effort below. You can order it online here, or pick it up in person at Microgroove (4906 N. Florida Ave., Tampa).