Aside from my illustrious adventures at this publication, I have the regular obligation of paying bills. Naturally, I must keep a day job. Believe it or not, I sometimes shed the leather jacket, dawning a shirt and tie in an office. By the time I clock out, already into the night, I am more than ready for an escape. A rock show is a good place to start.

The End of The Ocean has been around for some time despite a long period of radio silence (it’s been eight years since their last release). They are back, and better in my opinion, while still kicking it local.

I showed up to Ace of Cups early that night with my leather jacket covering the pressed shirt and tie in an effort to remind myself this is my natural habitat. Listening to Tides of Man, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the sound mix was better than I expected at this venue. Along with this, the house was completely packed.

The opener finished, and after the awkward shifting around of gear on the stage The End Of The Ocean began playing Endure without a word. I found myself more absorbed than expected. They kept playing without a break to talk for three songs. Even after that it was just a simple greeting and back to music. Their songs are like something you could use as a soundtrack in a movie about your life.

They played a couple more songs before the standard thanking of the audience and mentioning the new release. This was brief and not even a paragraph worth of words. I thought to myself “Wow, they take being an instrumental band seriously”. Kidding aside, this was done with the righteous intention of keeping the audience in the vibe of what they were playing with as little interruption as possible.

Gazing across the audience, it was working… heads all bobbing… scattered rock horns here and there. They were speaking to the crowd without a word. After playing Desire, Tara Mayer said as quickly as possible, “This is our last song. If you know the words sing along.” To which we were treated to We Always Think There Is Going To Be More Time, a song void of words.

What the band offered was a wash from the individuals daily life. Maybe you were the star of your own movie in your head. Perhaps you were just drunk off your ass in the front row. Either way you were part of something communal.

That’s something I find in common with all good shows. The crowd, as a whole, almost seems to mesh into a single entity. It bounces back energy based of those on stage. Everyone bobs to the same beat and takes what they need from it at the same time. They kept small talk to a minimum. No hype… all substance. To the point.

If you haven’t yet, check out the new album “-aire” by The End Of The Ocean.